As we know, dolphins are mammals, a class of vertebrates characterized by having mammary glands that after breeding produce nutritious milk for nourishing the offspring, and this is one of the reasons why the young always stay close to their mother.

A baby is defenseless and does not have the strength or size needed to face some predators, another important reason why they do not separate from its mother and swim just beside her, following its movements and learning about their environment.

The bond between them makes the calf imitate and learn the behaviors and techniques for hunting from its mother and other members of the pod so that in the future he can survive alone and teach its offspring.

Mothers nourish recently born dolphins and feed them with milk produced by the former.

In some cases, another female dolphin helps the mother to deliver the calf and to take care of it during the initial years of its life.

Calves stay with their mothers until they are six years old, giving them enough time to learn from their mothers the necessary skills to survive.

After mating, female bottlenose dolphins start the gestation period which lasts approximately twelve months.

After this time, a single calf is born, usually with the help of another female dolphin which assumes the role of a midwife.

Dolphin mothers give birth to the calf by releasing the tail of the offspring first, to avoid that the new dolphin gets drown.

The mother nourishes the calf for up to 18 months with milk produced by her body.

After weaning, young dolphins stay with their mothers for around six years until they have developed all the skills for hunting and surviving.

Dolphin calves are born after long gestation periods inside their mothers that range between 11 and 17 months according to the species.

Mothers deliver calves with the aid of another female dolphin who makes the role of a midwife.

Calves stay with their mothers for several years until they can survive by themselves.

After approximately six years, a time which also varies according to the species, young dolphins can hunt and protect themselves, so they leave their mothers and start an independent life.

This independent life sometimes means moving to another pod, but this is not a rule in all species as in some cases, just the females move to another group.