New babies for Monkey Mia dolphin family

Monkey Mia has welcomed two new arrivals to its dolphin family.

Shock, a female dolphin who regularly visits the Monkey Mia beach in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area, recently gave birth to her second calf.

Environment Minister Bill Marmion said the calf, named Static, was born at the Shark Bay Marine Park mid-November.

"It is important that mother and calf be carefully protected in the first few weeks of the calf's life to ensure the greatest chance of survival, which is why we've held off on announcing Static's arrival until now," Mr Marmion said. "Dolphin calves feed every 10-15 minutes and the mother's milk is rich and fatty, which allows the calf to grow up to seven times its birth weight in the first year.

"To enable Shock to feed her calf, DEC staff at Monkey Mia will shorten the morning interaction times when she is in attendance with her calf, allowing her to return to deeper water, so that the calf can be fed."

Earlier in October, a calf named Piper was born to another Monkey Mia dolphin, Piccolo.