Quedat

At five days old, the calf born to deaf dolphin Castaway died of breathing complications on June 15 at the Florida’s Marine Mammal Conservancy (MMC). The male calf’s body was sent to a National Marine Fisheries laboratory for a necropsy, though the cause of death could not be determined.

Veterinarians stayed through the night to care for the calf after noticing it had difficulty swimming and breathing. “Everything was done that could have been done,” MMC President Robert Lingenfelser said.

Despite the loss, a marine mammal researcher said, the calf’s first sounds, recorded two seconds after his birth, could provide new information on dolphin communication. Jack Kassewitz of speakdolphin.com said this is the first time a newborn’s sounds have been recorded in isolation.

[via National Geographic]