Whale groups consist of up to 14 adult females, often related. The females eject young males from the group before they reach sexual maturity.
SHUTTERSTOCKThe sun has not yet risen, but the first morning light reveals a sperm whale about to go hunting. Shane Gero and the other researchers from the Dominica Sperm Whale Project watch the whale’s tail fin flick above the surface before she disappears into the abyss off Dominica in the Caribbean.
For the next 40 minutes, the mother leaves her calf at the surface, while she goes hunting squid in the abyss. A lone calf would be a dinner invitation to any travelling killer whales. But there is no cause for concern here. Another adult female from the group looks
