Last updated: Oct 30, 2020
Between 2014 and 2018, a number of us had the chance to encounter a truly original animal trio during our dives in the Tiputa area, Rangiroa. Composed of a female bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) named "Thaïs" suckling both her firstborn and a young melon-headed whale (Peponocephala electra), this relationship was in fact a world first among wild single-parent mammals. An astonishing situation, presented in the American scientific journal "Ethology" and signed by our scientific director Pamela Carzon, in association with seasoned researchers such as Kathleen Dudzinski or Fabienne Delfour.
Since then, much water has flowed through the pass and we can no longer admire the behaviors of the graceful little female, who disappeared before being weaned, nor those of "Muffin", the young melon-headed whale who, after being weaned, seems to have been expelled from his adoptive group in a rather brutal manner. Their relationship, however, was immortalized in a short video documentary produced in partnership with IRD (Institute of Research for Development) of Tahiti.
Discover the summary of the article.
Discover the short film.