Rare pictures of a female dolphin giving birth

The Mandurah Dolphin Rescue group this week were able to capture the 1.5 hour labour, the birth of the calf, the newborns first breaths and interactions between a dolphin mother and baby.

Martin Van Aswegen from Murdoch University, part of a team working on the Mandurah Dolphin Research Project said, "In the wild, it is extremely rare to witness a free-ranging dolphin give birth, as the mothers will typically avoid humans and distance themselves, given the sensitive nature of the event and the vulnerability of the mother and calf."

The mother is a well known dolphin to Mandurah researchers, who've named her "Squarecut".

Researchers say her familiarity with the boats meant she was comfortable enough to give birth as both the researchers and cruisers watched on.