Dolphins and a Protecting Whale Save a Humpback Calf

In a captivating incident off Flinders Bay, Western Australia, in 2018, a female humpback whale named Spirit and her calf faced a grave threat from five aggressive males vying for mating rights. While such actions are typical in the whale world, the males could have fatally harmed the calf to make Spirit available.

As Spirit fought to protect her young, a pod of dolphins arrived, forming a protective barrier around the pair and displaying their bravery by baring their teeth at the attackers. Remarkably, one male whale changed his stance, driving off the others and swimming alongside Spirit and her calf for protection. This extraordinary display of interspecies solidarity left the Whale Watch WA team in awe, underlining the profound connections in the marine world.