Humpback Whales Employ “Bubble Rings” for Interaction with Humans
Whales might be even more sociable than we imagine. In a groundbreaking study, a team of researchers from the SETI Institute and the University of California at Davis documented humpback whales creating bubble rings. While it is already recognized that whales utilize bubbles while feeding or competing for females, this particular behavior stands out as it is directed at humans.
The group shared their findings in *Marine Mammal Science* after examining 12 instances of bubble ring creation, which involved 39 rings produced by 11 different whales. The data was collected from interviews with naturalists, citizen scientists, and researchers, as well as through the analysis of their videos or photographs. Additionally, drone footage was scrutinized to ascertain whether the whales produced bubble rings without human presence. Notably, the findings indicate that humpback whales generate bubble rings during friendly interactions with humans.
“Humpback whales frequently display curious, sociable behavior towards boats and human swimmers,” remarks Jodi Frediani, co-lead author, marine wildlife photographer, and U.C. Davis affiliate. “We have now identified a dozen whales from various global populations, most of which have willingly approached boats and swimmers while producing bubble rings during these curious encounters.”
It’s a remarkable insight that whales utilize their bubbles not solely for communication with one another but also to engage with us. Considering their intricate social behaviors, this shouldn’t be overly surprising.
“Humpback whales exist within complex societies, possess a range of vocalizations, utilize bubble tools, and help other species threatened by predators,” states Dr. Fred Sharpe, co-lead author and UC Davis affiliate. “Now, similar to a signaling mechanism, we demonstrate that they are producing bubble rings in our direction, seemingly to playfully interact, observe our reactions, and/or partake in some type of communication.”
During the bubble ring interactions, which took place near people or swimmers in 10 out of 12 instances, the whales appeared serene and at ease. This indicates that what we are witnessing is a form of inquisitive behavior.
This information will contribute to the SETI Institute’s mission to investigate non-human intelligence to support the quest for extraterrestrial intelligence.
“Due to the current limitations of technology, a key premise of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is that extraterrestrial beings and life will wish to establish contact and therefore target human receivers,” explains Dr. Laurance Doyle, SETI Institute scientist and co-author of the paper. “This critical premise is certainly reinforced by the independent evolution of curious behavior in humpback whales.”
A recent study illustrates how humpback whales produce bubble rings during favorable interactions with humans.
Source: WhaleSETI: Curious Humpback Whales Approach Humans and Blow Bubble “Smoke” Rings; Scientists Photograph Humpback Whales Blowing Bubble Rings to ‘Speak’ to Humans
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