It is a poignant mourning ritual that is rarely seen – and even more rarely captured on camera。

　　Struggling against the rough seas, a dolphin carries her dead baby on its final journey。

　　While a boat full of tourists watched the heartbreaking scene, the baby dolphin slipped from its mother’s back five times as she battled against the tide。

　　But on each occasion, she plucked it from the waves and continued her lonely voyage。

　　The dolphin was thought to be moving her dead calf away from the shore to lay it to rest in deeper water. A large gash, approximately a foot long, was visible across the calf’s belly。

　　It is possible the infant was killed by the propeller of a boat – perhaps even one of the many that take visitors out on day trips。

　　The pictures were taken by tourists in China’s Guangxi Zhuang region, which is known for its dolphin-watching tours。

　　In the past, researchers have observed dolphins carrying or pushing stillborn calves or those that die in their infancy。

　　They sometimes stay with their dead baby for several days. Mourning rituals are rare in the animal kingdom, but have also been observed in whales, elephants, chimps and gorillas。

　　While experts are reluctant to attribute

　　human emotions to animals, the behaviour seems to show that dolphins have some awareness of mortality – and may even contemplate their eventual death。

　　Researcher Joan Gonzalvo, of the Tethys Research Institute in Italy, observed a similar scene of a mother carrying its dead calf on its back. He said that the mother seemed unable to accept the death。

海豚妈妈背死亡小海豚回家

　　7月8日，一名游客在游览广西钦州三娘湾时目睹感人一幕。一只体长约3米的成年海豚驮着一具体长1.5米的海豚尸体向深海游去，像是要背死掉的孩子“回家”。

　　这只小海豚已经死亡，露出的腹部有条长约30厘米的伤口，血迹已经变黑。成年海豚驮着它快速向深海游去。但因为风浪较大，仅在三分钟时间里，小海豚从成年海豚后背滑落5次，都差点沉到海底，哪怕游船再靠近，成年海豚也不顾一切，当即转头回来潜下去又把小海豚驮浮起来继续前进。

　　在这个海滩附近生活了60多年老船工目睹后说：只听说过有海豚救人的故事，但是亲眼所见海豚这种同类不离不弃还是第一次。