The Indianapolis Zoo welcomes its newest Atlantic bottlenose dolphin addition, Calypso, a healthy girl born to mother Kalei (kuh-LAY) and father Kimo (kEE-mo). Named by the Zoo’s Marine Mammal staff, Calypso weighed 39 pounds at birth on April 24 and now weighs more than 70 pounds. The new calf is also the granddaughter of Nova, who is the matriarch of the dolphin pod.
Kalei is an attentive and relaxed mother and the calf is nursing well. The Zoo’s Marine Mammal staff monitored mom and baby 24/7 for the first 30 days and the vet staff conducted important medical checks and daily monitoring. Kalei’s food intake increased from 13 pounds a day before birth, to 33 pounds of high-fat fish after the baby arrived.
Calypso and the other members of the dolphin pod at the Indianapolis Zoo are ambassadors to their counterparts in the wild. The Zoo’s dolphin presentation in the Dolphin Pavilion sheds light on the health of the waters where dolphins live in the wild and what we can do to make their world a healthier place.
- Calf: Calypso (born April 24, 2015)
- Mother: Kalei (born May 16, 2000)
- Grandmother: Nova (matriarch of the dolphin pod/born 1983)
SOURCE: The Indianapolis Zoo