During our 2022 field session, Fingers was consistently seen with a small calf whom we believed to be her offspring. The young calf appeared to be a healthy yearling female.

We first observed her swimming in tandem with her mother, occasionally slipping underneath Fingers to peek at us while the pair was traveling. Once the little calf warmed up to us she became increasingly bold, playful and curious. On several days she approached us on her own, stopping to log on the surface, hover underneath us, summersault, twirl, bubble, scan and investigate our team.

When she wasn’t engaging with observers, Fingers’ calf seemed to be very attached to her mother. During our 2022 field study, the only adult we saw her traveling with was Fingers. Other whales from her family group were nearby, but the calf tucked under her mother’s comfort and protection whenever possible.

Fingers’ calf’s instinctive reliance on her mother may have been amplified by the increase of swim-with-whales tourism in Dominica. In late November 2022, we witnessed the calf being struck by a tour boat as it positioned to place snorkelers in the water. The catamaran motored so close to the whales that the boat’s pontoon grazed the calf. The startled baby immediately bolted towards her mother and the two were seen close together for the remainder of the day, actively avoiding boats.

When we saw her again several days later, we entered the water well away from the calf and allowed her to approach us on her own terms. Moments later she initiated a relaxed, intimate, and extended encounter which we interpreted as a sign of reciprocation for the respect we showed to the young whale.