21st Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Mother love

A rare scense of sperm whale calf nursing from its mother in the waters of East Africa sea. The young calf pushes its lower jaw into the nipple cavity and the mother squirts the milk into the baby's mouth underwater. However, because young whale cannot breathe and nurse at the same time, therefore breastfeeding events are typically quite short. Milk of sperm whale has a higher fat content than that of terrestrial mammals: about 36%, compared to 4% in cow milk. And the sperm whale calfs rely on their mother's milk for sustenance in their first one or two years.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 01.2022
Date Uploaded: 11.2023
Photo Location: Mauritius
Camera: ILCE-7RM5
Copyright: © Thien Nguyen Ngoc