Humpback whales interacting with people in a playful, scientifically-backed manner, as researchers report.
Humpback whales are stirring up a storm with their puzzling interactions with humans, suggest recent studies. Scientists from the SETI Institute have been on a roll, scrutinizing these series of encounters between us humans and these colossal ocean-dwellers.
The researchers have spotted something intriguing - humpback whales generating large bubble rings reminiscent of the smoke rings humans craft, during friendly exchanges with people. Their findings, published in the journal Marine Mammal Science, hint that this behavior might be a playful endeavor or a form of communication.
It's not new that humpback whales employ bubbles to herd prey or assert dominance among males courting a mate. But the phenomenon of producing bubble rings specifically during human interactions adds a layer of complexity to our understanding of whale intelligence.
This scrutiny of non-human cognition is vital in the hunt for extraterrestrial life, state the SETI researchers. Their whale team seeks to develop filters to decipher cosmic signals that could reveal ET life, by exploring intelligent marine communication systems – not restricted to terrestrial life.
"Since our technology limitations assume ET life forms are interested in communication, a hypothesis bolstered by humpback whales' curious behavior," Laurance Doyle, SETI Institute scientist and co-author remarks.
The scientists deciphered 12 instances of bubble ring creation by 11 whales, with 39 rings in total. Intriguingly, they found that these whales were blowing bubble rings towards humans as if to engage in some fun-loving banter, gauge our responses, and probably communicate on some level, proposes Fred Sharpe, a co-author.
Humpback whales have a penchant for displaying inquisitive and affectionate behavior towards boats and humans. According to marine wildlife photographer and paper co-author Jodi Frediani, they've traced a dozen whales from different populations worldwide, most of whom approached humans blowing bubble rings during these curious exchanges.
In the marine world, scientists have long examined the intricate communication methods of whales and dolphins. In 2021, the SETI Institute bridged a gap, sealing a conversation with a humpback whale cleverly named Twain by piping whale calls through an underwater speaker[1].
Another group of researchers at the University of Southern Denmark in 2022 discovered that baleen whales harmonize their vocalizations underwater. Yet another SETI study in 2024 disclosed that wh ale calls during bubble feeding events may serve as instructions for the group[2].
In essence, research is painting a picture where humpback whales are generating bubble rings during human interactions. This peculiar behavior, possibly indicative of play or communication, adds another enigma to our understanding of these intelligent marine creatures.
[1] https://www.livescience.com/seti-institute-humback-whale-conversation.html[2] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240531131640.htm[3] https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/22/world/humpback-whales-bubble-rings-humans-intl-scn/index.html[4] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-97515-2[5] https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-57982239
- The intriguing behavior of humpback whales generating bubble rings during friendly exchanges with humans might not only be playful but also a form of advanced communication, according to scientists from the SETI Institute, who aim to apply their findings to decipher cosmic signals that could reveal extraterrestrial life.
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