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Sperm whale birth offers scientists new insight into animal cooperation

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published April 10, 2026 at 12:04 PM EDT

In July 2023, scientists studying sperm whales came across an amazing scene: a group of 11 sperm whales gathered together for what turned out to be the birth of a baby whale.

Here & Now‘s Scott Tong speaks with David Gruber, who is the founder of Project CETI, or Cetacean Translation Initiative, about what he and the scientists on the boat have learned from this whale birth and the way the whales cooperated to lift up the baby so it could breathe and stay afloat.

Four sperm whales. (Courtesy of Amanda Cotton/Project CETI)

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.