SAN DIEGO - An Atlantic bottlenose dolphin was born at SeaWorld San Diego on Monday and is in good health, the theme park reported Thursday.

SeaWorld trainers said the 30-pound calf and its mother, Cascade, are bonding as they swim together.

"The baby started nursing right away and that's what we hoped for," said Mike Hopkins, a senior animal care specialist at SeaWorld. "We expect to see the baby start to gain weight quickly because of the rich milk from mom."

It is the fifth offspring for Cascade, 29, at the park, according to SeaWorld. The birth was the 78th dolphin at the park overall.

The gestation period for the species is one year.

Trainers are monitoring both Cascade and her offspring, the result of natural breeding, round-the-clock to count respirations and frequency of nursing.

The gender will be known in a few weeks.