Baby animals are having a moment. But while the internet is losing its mind about both Moo Deng, the bouncy baby pygmy hippo who at two months old already has an SNL sketch and beauty trend to her name, and Melbourne’s chunky baby penguin Pesto, who copped a visit from Katy Perry over the weekend, our heart still belongs to the baby dolphin that was born off Moreton Bay in June.

The team at Tangalooma Island Resort runs a dolphin feeding program where eco rangers and guests feed wild bottlenose dolphins. Since the 1980s, the same pod of dolphins has visited the resort night after night. On June 7, a new calf was spotted with the pod.

The calf belongs to 19-year-old Silhouette (Sil to her friends). The teenage dolphin mum (someone get MTV on the phone!) is already a devoted mother to nine-year-old Betts and five-year-old Comet. The baby is constantly watched over by their brothers, and Calypso, another male dolphin from the pod, has been seen babysitting the calf to give Sil a break on her Tangalooma visits. Shout-out to Calypso.

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When we shared the news back in June, we only knew that the calf was playful and independent like their mother, and appears to be a healthy and strong swimmer. Yesterday, rangers from Tangalooma (who will not feed the calf until they’re two years old and has learnt to hunt independently) announced they have named the baby Eclipse.

“The name Eclipse reflects both the connection to its mother, Silhouette, and the dolphins’ evening arrival during sunset, where there’s the interplay of light and darkness,” said Sue Hassard, dolphin program manager at the Tangalooma Eco Centre.

Catch you all over on the Tangalooma Island Resort socials where I will be patiently waiting for more updates on my new dolphin friend.

@tangaloomaislandresort

This article was originaly published on June 20, 2024 but was updated on October 1, 2024 to include the dolphin's name.