That Sweet, Sweet Dolphin Love

By Andrew Peerless in Miscellaneous on Aug 23, 2005 2:30PM

Notice any unusual sounds coming from the Shedd Aquarium lately? Perhaps a bit more squeaking than usual from dolphin-land, or even the distinctive, strangely compelling moan of wet dolphin skin on dolphin skin? We know you have - and we know you've enjoyed it. It's okay... you don't gotta be ashamed.

Ladies, beware, because Jump is finally here. He's the Shedd's newest Pacific white-sided dolphin, and he's come from San Antonio Sea World to spread his brand of sweet lovin' to the aquarium's harem of lovely dolphin lasses: Kri, Tique, Piquet and Katrl (Is Chicagoist the only that thinks these sound like cities in Iraq?). The Shedd's last attempt at dolphin breeding, a 2003 experiment in artificial insemination, yielded only two calves that were sadly stillborn, and everyone's hoping for more success now that Jump has entered the picture.

So far, things seem to be going just swell. Wild male dolphins temporarily enter packs of females to breed like mad, all of which makes Jump's arrival pretty much par for the dolphin course. Though the ladies took a few days to warm up to their newfound studlet, bonds seem to be forming and the Jumpster has already been seen rubbing up against a few of his new companions. This guy clearly wastes no time... someone ain't exactly against kissing on the first date.

Dolphin breeding season begins in late summer (now!), lasting into the fall, and gestation takes about a year. Given these reports, we're expecting no less than four calves to be poking their cute little bottle noses out of the water about this time in 2006. You'll find Jump smoking a well-deserved cigarette in the corner and carving four more notches into his watery bedpost.