18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Social whales

A group of sperm whales goes into a resting phase right in our presence. These animals are largely used to humans in Dominica, but still, they exhibit an extraordinary amount of trust in us as we swim around them. Having been hunted for centuries some of these animals may have seen family members lost at the hand of humans, and then to reciprocate with this level of trust is beyond the range of most human forgiveness.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 11.2020
Date Uploaded: 11.2020
Photo Location: Dominica
Copyright: © Caine Delacy