As intimidating as they seem to be approaching, humpback whales often see humans as friends rather than enemies. These gentle soul sociability is probably best expressed by the curious behaviors that we show when we approach humans.
recently study Published in Marine Mammal Science It suggests that humpback whales may be sending bubble rings like messages to humans as a way to break ice. Although humpback whales are known to use bubbles as a tool, these new observations reveal playful aspects of their skills. Their friendly bubble-blood-blown behavior is the latest indication that whales’ intelligence is extremely complicated and requires further research.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcfmatspvms
Humpback whales and humans
Humpback whales are known for being calm and unaggressive during their encounters with humans. In fact, these whales rarely attack unprovoked humans, and the damage they inflict on the vessels could simply be an unfortunate accident caused by them. My eyesight is poor.
Humpback whales show interest in humans, show curious beer behavior such as spy hops, and raise their heads vertically above the water to see what’s going on around them.
Humpback whales are not only curious whales, but also resourceful creatures. They use an array of techniques to blow holes and blow bubbles from the mouth for a variety of reasons. The foam is sometimes used in agonist or competitive displays among male humpback whales who are fighting for being the primary female escort. Also used by whales “Bubble Net” To corrode, create underwater curtains that act as barriers, trapping small animals like young salmon and krills.
read more: Big Eyes, Blurred Vision: Why Humpback Whale Have a Hard Time to See Clearly
Whales interact with bubble rings
To get a glimpse into how whales communicate, the new study explored 12 bubble ring production episodes obtained by citizen scientists and researchers. These events included 39 bubble rings from 11 individual whales examined through video and photo footage.
The results generally show how humpback whales produce rings of bubbles as curiosity-behaviors as approaching the boat.
“Humbback whales often show curiosity and friendly behavior towards boats and human swimmers,” said co-star Jodi Frediani, a marine wildlife photographer and UC Davis affiliate Jodi Frediani. statement. “We have now found dozens of whales from the population around the world, most of which are spontaneously approaching by boats and swimmers blowing out rings of bubbles during episodes of these curious behavior.”
The agonic behavior was not exhibited in any of the episodes of the Bubble Ring. In other words, the whales were not aggressive and were not threatened. Researchers say the whales did not even exhibit “a mild form of troublesome nuisance and avoidance,” including diving and improving swimming speeds.
On the contrary, the whale seemed to be relaxing in motion. A number of playful activities accompanied bubble ring episodes, including tail swishing and slapsing breast fins.
Understanding whales’ communication
The Bubble Ring episode shows how humpback whales try to become chammies with humans, but the true scope of this behavior is not yet fully understood.
Similarly, other species of whales sometimes show familiarity to humans, like whales and grey whales, as they interact with boats. The way whales communicate in the presence of humans remains a topic of enduring interest for scientists as well. Orcafor example, it appears that you can mimic human speech with clicks and whistles.
Bubble rings made by humpback whales can be one of these complex interspecies communications. Researchers say these whales can accurately change the structure of bubble rings with blowholes, and there is room for future research to present specific gestures when interacting with humans.
The Bubble Ring episode reinforces the idea that there is still much to learn about humpbacks as they continue to surprise us with their extraordinary intelligence and outgoing nature.
“Humbback whales live in complex societies, are acoustically diverse, use bubble tools and support other species that are harassed by predators,” said Fred Sharpe, an affiliate of UC Davis in a press release. “Now, similar to the candidate signal, we show that they are blowing bubble rings in our direction.
read more: Orca mimics human speech as a way to communicate with us
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Jack Knudson is Discover’s assistant editor with a strong interest in environmental science and history. Before taking part in the discovery in 2023, he studied journalism at Ohio University’s Scripps College of Communications and previously interned in Recycle Today’s Magazine.
