# La Plata dolphin males seen babysitting calves while females hunt: nearly 300 cases in 1.5 years

- Published: 2026-11-14 22:16 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Biology & biochemistry
- Tags: La Plata dolphin, Pontoporia blainvillei, male dolphins caring for calves, dolphin behavior, drone observation of dolphins, Marine Mammal Science, endangered dolphins, fishing net bycatch
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-91c18a78a905adf233599794_la_plata_dolphin/

**Researchers using drones recorded male La Plata dolphins accompanying calves while mothers hunted. Active care of young by male mammals is very rare.**

![La Plata dolphin males seen babysitting calves while females hunt: nearly 300 cases in 1.5 years](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/ce59947f09d8694f.webp)
*life.pravda.com.ua*

Male La Plata dolphins (Pontoporia blainvillei) have been observed caring for calves, a behavior very rare among mammals. The study was published in Marine Mammal Science and covered by The New York Times; this account follows the retelling on life.pravda.com.ua [1]. Over 1.5 years, researchers recorded almost 300 cases in which males acted as a kind of babysitter while females hunted [1].

## How the observations were made

Adults of this species reach only about 1.5 metres in length. They spend most of their time in often turbid coastal waters of Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. Most of what is known about the species came from the remains of animals that accidentally ended up in fishing nets [1].

Marine biologist Macos Cesar de Oliveira Santos was surprised to notice the dolphins near his research station. He decided to use drones to watch the groups and learn more about their way of life [1]. He and his colleagues often saw groups of three: a mother, a calf and a male. The male accompanied the calf and its mother while they hunted [1].

Sometimes the mother stayed underwater searching for prey, while the calf and the male rose to the surface. The male stayed close to the calf and often helped it until the female returned [1]. "This is amazing... We never even expected to describe something like this," Santos said [1].

## Why males may do it

Cases of male mammals taking an active part in raising offspring are extremely rare, but they exist. Hal Whitehead of Dalhousie University (Canada), who was not involved in the study, noted that among monogamous mammals such as gibbons, males care for, protect and play with their young. He has also recorded males of pilot whales, a dolphin-family species, looking after calves that were not their own [1].

Caring for other animals' calves is fairly common among dolphins and whales, because calves cannot stay underwater as long as their mothers. Usually, however, other females do the babysitting [1].

Unlike other dolphin species, La Plata dolphins show no signs of aggression in competition for females. Researchers suggest that caring for calves may be a way to gain a mating advantage. Whitehead said the males may be trying to impress females [1].

Whether the males are related to the calves is not yet known, so it remains unclear if they are caring fathers or potential partners. To find out, the researchers plan to collect DNA samples [1].

La Plata dolphins are a vulnerable species under threat of extinction. Their numbers are declining mostly because animals get caught in fishing nets. The species is the only survivor in its taxonomic family, and Santos said that we are losing the only species of a family about which almost nothing is known [1].

## Sources

1. [life.pravda.com.ua](https://life.pravda.com.ua/society/samci-nevlovnogo-vidu-delfiniv-nyanchat-ditinchat-video-319069)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-91c18a78a905adf233599794_la_plata_dolphin/