yesterday morning.

Nine-year-old Bailey delivered her baby between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. in the nursery cove at the facility in Southampton.

Dolphin Quest's Director of Animal Management Dave Gossman said: "The birth went very smoothly and the baby has begun nursing.

"Although mother and baby appear to be doing very well, there is still some concern due to the calf's small size and early delivery, approximately two weeks before her due date.'' Caliban, a five-year-old female, has joined mother and calf in the role of an aunt. This type of behaviour is often witnessed in the wild.

The first month of a dolphin's life is the most critical as it is when the calf is most fragile.

Based on wild population studies, the survival chance of dolphin calves born in the wild to inexperienced mothers is rare.

Dolphin Quest, with seven successful births at its Hawaii facility, is widely recognised for its expertise on dolphin reproduction, foetal monitoring and newborn survival and continues to increase these odds.

Throughout her pregnancy, Bailey has had the best prenatal care including voluntary ultrasound examinations, a procedure developed for dolphins by Dolphin Quest, which enabled the successful monitoring of the calf's development.