Tuesday, November 3, 2026
You can see the “fetal folds” on this newborn, just a few days old. Just like human babies, dolphins in the womb are folded and the creases from that position become visible at birth. The lines will fade in a short while, but the team can judge a newborn’s approximate age (a few days, a week, a month) by the clarity of those folds. Newborn Ash, in this article, had folds that had faded a bit and was judged to be two to three weeks old.
This is mom Rakes and her baby Pitchfork, born in 2022. Pitchfork just left mom’s side a few months ago, has learned all that it could from Rakes, and is now out on its own. Just a month or so later, August 2026, Rakes gave birth to Ash, now about one month old.
The Dolphin Explorer is home to the 10,000 Islands Dolphin Research Project that monitors the travel range, feeding habits, social patterns, genealogy, survival rate, and overall health of the local bottlenose dolphin population. The team has 20+ years of data that is recorded and distributed worldwide. The study continues…
Late summer and early fall is the time of the year that the dolphin study team on board the Dolphin Explorer looks forward to the most. It’s birthing season for our local dolphins. Over the past 20+ years, the team has identified these months as the period when 90-95% of our newborn babies are documented. Once in a while, the team gets a surprise, seeing a new calf in August or as late as December or January, but primarily it is September, October, and November that these little ones arrive. And, right on schedule, our first new baby has arrived.
Knowing our dolphin population very well, there are 40+ adult females that call North Marco Island home. This fall, there are 16 that fit the profile as “potential” ones to give birth in 2026. Likely not all 16 will produce a new calf, but we anticipate that nine to 10 new babies will be documented.
On August 24, at approximately 10:40 AM, adult female Rakes (our dolphins have names) was seen with a new calf, her fifth documented baby since 2012. Prior to August 24, the most recent sighting of Rakes was July 22 and there was no new baby by her side. The August sighting showed us a calf that would be about two to three weeks old, meaning the little one was born in early August.
When a baby dolphin is born it is very dark in color and will have white vertical lines on its skin known as “fetal folds,” which are common since the calf in the womb is curled, similar to a human baby’s position. Those lines will fade in the first few months after birth and Rakes’ new baby’s fetal folds were barely visible, indicating that it was born about two to three weeks prior to that August 24 sighting. That newborn was named Ash.
I mentioned that this was baby number five for Rakes. Her other offspring and their birth years are as follows: Scamp (2012), Tigertail (2016), Sand Dollar (2019), and Pitchfork (2022). You’ll notice a pattern here: Rakes gives birth every three to four years, which is typical for adult females in our survey area.
Since our dolphins are local and, especially the females, stay in a limited travel range, Rakes will teach Ash to feed and socialize over the next three to four years right where she taught her previous offspring to do the same. This being the case, we see family reunions quite often. Even though they left Rakes’ side 10 to 14 years ago, Scamp and Tigertail are often seen feeding and socializing with their mom in the area where they learned to feed by her. Ash will likely do the same and has probably met Scamp and Tigertail already!
Speaking of Tigertail, she is displaying behavior that indicates she is likely a female and, at 10 years old, could possibly give birth this year. If so, this will be the second documented time that the team has witnessed a mom and daughter give birth in the same year. And, if Tigertail does give birth, Rakes will become grandmother #15 in our local dolphin society!
As mentioned, there are 15 other females that are potentials to have a new calf this year. Some of the most probable to do so are moms whose three-year-olds have left their sides. This is typical for a youngster with this much education from mom to go on its own, especially if mom is expecting a newborn. The team has documented a few moms that fit this profile and these ladies are very high on our list to give birth and are being watched very carefully.
Who will be the next mom with a new calf and what will the baby’s name be? You can follow updates on the Dolphin Explorer Facebook page “The Dolphin Explorer Marco Island” and keep up with the activity in our area.
You can also look for future articles here in the Coastal Breeze News about the area newborns as well. Which mom will give birth next? Stay tuned!
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