Humpback whales have long been admired for their intelligence, and their behaviour around other marine creatures has been extensively observed and documented.
Humpback whales actually make and use tools for hunting, finds new study.
This consisted of playing whale calls through an underwater speaker that Twain responded to with similar calls.
But these studies did not touch on humpback whales’ voluntary interactions with humans, rather than contact engineered by the researchers, or their use of bubble blowing, other than as a hunting strategy.
“Humpback whales live in complex societies, are acoustically diverse, use bubble tools and assist other species being harassed by predators,” says co-lead author Dr Fred Sharpe.
The intelligence of humpback whales has long been admired, and their interactions with other marine life have been well-researched and documented.
Specifically, the whales’ practice of banding together to blow bubbles and create a ring around a school of tiny fish in order to “corral” them and facilitate feeding. The nature of team communication has been the subject of intriguing conjecture as a result of this hunting collaboration.
New research shows that humpback whales do, in fact, make and use tools for hunting. And it’s completely captivating to observe.
This “smoke” ring was created by one of the largest animals on the planet. According to scientists, it has never been recorded before.
A group of scientists from the SETI Institute had what was called a “conversation” with a lone humpback named Twain in 2021. Through an underwater speaker, whale calls were played, and Twain responded with similar calls.
Whale calls made during bubble feeding events were initially believed to be random and pointless, possibly with the exception of communicating with other pod members. However, in a 2024 study conducted by the same group, it was discovered that these calls had more specified purposes. The whales appeared to use specific calls as a means of giving directions or making focused remarks to the group.
These studies, however, did not address the use of bubble blowing by humpback whales for purposes other than hunting or their voluntary interactions with humans, as opposed to contact that the researchers manipulated.
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In a recent study that was published in Marine Mammal Science, researchers from SETI and the University of California examined both of these facets of whale behavior and found that humpbacks create enormous bubble rings during friendly interactions with people, which appear to be an attempt at communication.
Interest in these interactions was high because the SETI Institute’s overarching goal is to comprehend the origins and prevalence of life and intelligence in the universe. No matter where they take place, nonverbal cues and speech attempts are thought to be essential to expanding our knowledge of all living things. If space exploration puts us in communication with life forms on other planets, this holds true for both non-human species that are currently on Earth and any sentient beings that we may come across in the future.
According to Dr. Fred Sharpe, co-lead author, “humpback whales are acoustically diverse, live in complex societies, use bubble tools, and help other species that are being harassed by predators.”. They are blowing bubble rings in our direction, which is similar to a candidate signal, as if they want to playfully interact, see how we react, or communicate in some way. “.”.
The term “candidate signal” refers to intriguing radio waves that have been examined extensively for their origin and significance and that can be detected from the depths of space. The team compared what they perceive to be the whales’ communication attempts and the efforts being made by researchers to decipher their bubble messages to the work being done to decipher interplanetary radio signals.
Twelve bubble ring-production episodes, comprising 39 rings produced by 11 individual whales, were examined in this study. The majority of the twelve whales that we have found so far from populations all over the world have willingly approached boats and swimmers blowing bubble rings during these instances of odd behavior, according to marine wildlife photographer and co-lead author Jodi Frediani.
The goal of the Whale-SETI team’s research is to create filters that will help interpret cosmic signals for indications of extraterrestrial life. They hope to eventually be able to accurately interpret the verbal and nonverbal communications of whales and other animals with the aid of artificial intelligence and ongoing observation. These lessons and methods could then be used to communicate with people outside of our world.
Listen to the whale pack’s bubble-making noises.
