They can be seen herding fish in teams much like cowboys herding cattle. Some scientists are trying to learn the language of whales in order to understand their behavior better. Dolphins and other whales usually have only one calf every other year. The calves are born tail-first and then quickly boosted to the surface by the mother for their first breath of air. Other females in a pod will often care for the newborn calf.
Whale mothers nurse their calves underwater.
Milk is forcibly squirted through the mother's nipples to feed the calf. Some whale calves will double their weight in only a week. Whale populations that produce so few young in a season can be quickly brought to the brink of extinction by heavy hunting pressure. Conservation groups have convinced the International Whaling Commission to stop most whaling. Native American hunters, such as the Eskimos, who rely on whale meat and other wild game to feed their communities, are still allowed to hunt a limited number of whales.