The ocean can be a dangerous place for nearly every creature that calls it home.
While most of the dangers posed to oceanic creatures tend to come in the form of natural predators and man-made threats, one humpback whale and her calf found themselves faced with an entirely different kind of threat—and luckily, a pod of dolphins was around to save the day.
The mother and her calf, named Spirit and Sunny by the whale-watching groups around Australia, were out swimming when a pack of male humpbacks approached them.
The five males all seemed intent on mating with Spirit—and while normally whale mating would be highly encouraged, this particular instance put the young Sunny at major risk. Had one of the males been successful in mating with Spirit, Sunny’s subsequent abandonment would have likely meant death.
In an incredible video captured from on board the tour boat, it’s clear that the dolphins want nothing to do with the male humpbacks. They go as far as to display aggression, a rarity for dolphins, and refuse to let the hopeful suitors get any closer to the tired mom.
Eventually, the largest of the male humpbacks starts to escort Spirit and Sunny away, scaring off the other suitors as he protected the vulnerable pair. Without the aid of the dolphins, though, things wouldn’t have looked nearly so bright for poor Sunny!
The experience was referred to as “once in a lifetime” by the Whale Watch WA group, and that certainly seems to be the case. Hopefully, the pod of humpbacks almost certainly living near the area will have learned their lesson!
