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.

During the gestation period, dolphins carry their calves for 11 to 18 months depending on the species. Common bottlenose dolphins, the best-known species, has a gestation period of 12 months.

After the birth, dolphins take care of their young for up to six years to teach them the necessary skills to survive and get food. However, for some species, this time can be as short as 18 months.

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.