Humpback Whale Bubble Rings May Be an Attempt to Communicate With Us
Humpback whales caught blowing giant bubble rings underwater may have been attempting some kind of communication with their audience of human onlookers, a new study suggests.
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are known for blowing spiral bubble nets to hunt with, but not all bubbles have the same meaning in the world of whales. Some are intended to be playful; some frisky; and others are downright aggressive.
The particular genre of bubble-blowing documented in the report took the form of perfect circles, similar to ones described by biologist Roger Payne as "madly spinning doughnut-shaped clouds that look like giant smoke rings about three feet in diameter that rise rapidly to the surface."
An international team of biologists and photographers reviewed videos and photos of whales producing bubble rings, taken from below the water by a swimmer or overboard from a boat, and above the surface either from a boat, a plane, or a drone.
This variety of sources adds to the context in which the whales produce their rings, particularly important if we want to know whether they're meant as communication with humans or not.
Their data included a dozen separate examples of rings being made by the whales, equalling a total of 39 bubble rings generated by 11 different humpback whales.
"Out of the 12 episodes of ring production reported here, ten episodes were collected near a boat or human swimmers, while six episodes had more than one whale present," the researchers report.
"Despite these ample opportunities for intra- and interspecies aggression, there was no evidence of agonism toward conspecifics or aggression toward boats or swimmers in any of the ring episodes."
Quite the contrary, in fact. Far from showing signs of avoiding humans, eight of nine ring blowers approached the boat or swimmers, with exceptions to when they were blowing bubbles while feeding.
Whales of many different species have been observed exhaling near research and tourist vessels, exhibiting playful and friendly behavior. Intentionally blowing bubbles may be one more sign of wilful interaction, much as we might engage with other animals in whimsical acts of fun.
While these facts support the fantastic notion of whale-to-human communication, we're going to need a lot more data before we can be sure of the true meaning of these effervescent messages – and whether they're really intended for us at all.
"Whatever the reason for their creation, maintaining vigilance in the field will help elucidate the frequency and function of bubble rings," the researchers write.
"Both playful and communicative overtures of bubble rings may hold deeper meaning for humpback whales and their potential for interspecies communication."
The research is published in Marine Mammal Science.
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2 days ago
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Humpback Whale Bubble Rings May Be an Attempt to Communicate With Us
Humpback whales caught blowing giant bubble rings underwater may have been attempting some kind of communication with their audience of human onlookers, a new study suggests. Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are known for blowing spiral bubble nets to hunt with, but not all bubbles have the same meaning in the world of whales. Some are intended to be playful; some frisky; and others are downright aggressive. The particular genre of bubble-blowing documented in the report took the form of perfect circles, similar to ones described by biologist Roger Payne as "madly spinning doughnut-shaped clouds that look like giant smoke rings about three feet in diameter that rise rapidly to the surface." An international team of biologists and photographers reviewed videos and photos of whales producing bubble rings, taken from below the water by a swimmer or overboard from a boat, and above the surface either from a boat, a plane, or a drone. This variety of sources adds to the context in which the whales produce their rings, particularly important if we want to know whether they're meant as communication with humans or not. Their data included a dozen separate examples of rings being made by the whales, equalling a total of 39 bubble rings generated by 11 different humpback whales. "Out of the 12 episodes of ring production reported here, ten episodes were collected near a boat or human swimmers, while six episodes had more than one whale present," the researchers report. "Despite these ample opportunities for intra- and interspecies aggression, there was no evidence of agonism toward conspecifics or aggression toward boats or swimmers in any of the ring episodes." Quite the contrary, in fact. Far from showing signs of avoiding humans, eight of nine ring blowers approached the boat or swimmers, with exceptions to when they were blowing bubbles while feeding. Whales of many different species have been observed exhaling near research and tourist vessels, exhibiting playful and friendly behavior. Intentionally blowing bubbles may be one more sign of wilful interaction, much as we might engage with other animals in whimsical acts of fun. While these facts support the fantastic notion of whale-to-human communication, we're going to need a lot more data before we can be sure of the true meaning of these effervescent messages – and whether they're really intended for us at all. "Whatever the reason for their creation, maintaining vigilance in the field will help elucidate the frequency and function of bubble rings," the researchers write. "Both playful and communicative overtures of bubble rings may hold deeper meaning for humpback whales and their potential for interspecies communication." The research is published in Marine Mammal Science. New Tyrannosaur Species Could Be a Missing Link to The Giants The World's Largest Organism Is Slowly Being Eaten First Evidence of a Sauropod's Last Meal Shows How They Ate Their Food
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How humpback whales are playfully communicating with humans, according to scientists
Humpback whales may be communicating with humans in a playful way, according to researchers who have been studying the marine mammals' behavior. Researchers from the SETI Institute, a Silicon Valley-based nonprofit research organization, documented humpback whales producing large bubble rings -- similar to the rings humans can produce while blowing smoke -- during friendly interactions with humans, they noted in a paper published last month in the journal Marine Mammal Science. MORE: 50th anniversary of 'Jaws': How the film impacted public perception of sharks This behavior, while little studied, could represent play or communication, the scientists said. Humpback whales were already known to use bubbles to corral, and males have been observed creating bubble trails or bursts when competing for a female mate, according to the SETI Institute. But new observations that appear to show humpback whales producing bubble rings during friendly encounters with humans contributes to a broader goal of studying non-human intelligence, the scientists said. Studying non-human intelligence can aid in the search for extraterrestrial life, the researchers said. The SETI whale team is aiming to develop filters that aid in parsing cosmic signals for signs of extraterrestrial life by studying intelligent, non-terrestrial -- or aquatic -- nonhuman communication systems, according to the research organization. "Because of current limitations on technology, an important assumption of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is that extraterrestrial intelligence and life will be interested in making contact and so target human receivers," Laurance Doyle, SETI Institute scientist and co-author on the paper, said in a statement. "This important assumption is certainly supported by the independent evolution of curious behavior in humpback whales." Researchers analyzed 12 bubble ring–production episodes involving 39 rings made by 11 individual whales, they said. They determined the whales are blowing bubble rings in the direction of humans in an apparent attempt to playfully interact, observe humans' response and engage in some form of communication, Fred Sharpe, a co-author of the paper, said in a statement. "Humpback whales live in complex societies, are acoustically diverse, use bubble tools and assist other species being harassed by predators," Sharpe, who is a legacy board member of the Alaska Whale Foundation, said. MORE: Scientists discover how whales can sing under water and how shipping noise can disrupt communication Humpback whales often display "inquisitive, friendly behavior" toward boats and humans, according to Jodi Frediani, a marine wildlife photographer and paper co-author. "We've now located a dozen whales from populations around the world, the majority of which have voluntarily approached boats and swimmers blowing bubble rings during these episodes of curious behavior," Frediani said. For decades, scientists have been studying how intelligent marine mammals such as whales and dolphins communicate with each other. In 2021, researchers from the SETI Institute recorded a conversation with a humpback whale named Twain by playing whale calls through an underwater speaker. MORE: Ocean scientists concerned over uptick of whale deaths on Northeast coasts Last year, another group of researchers at the University of Southern Denmark discovered how baleen whales are able to sing underwater. Also in 2024, SETI Institute researchers discovered that whale calls made during bubble feeding events were likely a way for whales to issue instructions to the group.
5 days ago
How humpback whales are playfully communicating with humans, according to scientists
Humpback whales may be communicating with humans in a playful way, according to researchers who have been studying the marine mammals' behavior. Researchers from the SETI Institute, a Silicon Valley-based nonprofit research organization, documented humpback whales producing large bubble rings -- similar to the rings humans can produce while blowing smoke -- during friendly interactions with humans, they noted in a paper published last month in the journal Marine Mammal Science. This behavior, while little studied, could represent play or communication, the scientists said. Humpback whales were already known to use bubbles to corral, and males have been observed creating bubble trails or bursts when competing for a female mate, according to the SETI Institute. But new observations that appear to show humpback whales producing bubble rings during friendly encounters with humans contributes to a broader goal of studying non-human intelligence, the scientists said. Studying non-human intelligence can aid in the search for extraterrestrial life, the researchers said. The SETI whale team is aiming to develop filters that aid in parsing cosmic signals for signs of extraterrestrial life by studying intelligent, non-terrestrial -- or aquatic -- nonhuman communication systems, according to the research organization. "Because of current limitations on technology, an important assumption of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is that extraterrestrial intelligence and life will be interested in making contact and so target human receivers," Laurance Doyle, SETI Institute scientist and co-author on the paper, said in a statement. "This important assumption is certainly supported by the independent evolution of curious behavior in humpback whales." Researchers analyzed 12 bubble ring–production episodes involving 39 rings made by 11 individual whales, they said. They determined the whales are blowing bubble rings in the direction of humans in an apparent attempt to playfully interact, observe humans' response and engage in some form of communication, Fred Sharpe, a co-author of the paper, said in a statement. "Humpback whales live in complex societies, are acoustically diverse, use bubble tools and assist other species being harassed by predators," Sharpe, who is a legacy board member of the Alaska Whale Foundation, said. Humpback whales often display "inquisitive, friendly behavior" toward boats and humans, according to Jodi Frediani, a marine wildlife photographer and paper co-author. "We've now located a dozen whales from populations around the world, the majority of which have voluntarily approached boats and swimmers blowing bubble rings during these episodes of curious behavior," Frediani said. For decades, scientists have been studying how intelligent marine mammals such as whales and dolphins communicate with each other. In 2021, researchers from the SETI Institute recorded a conversation with a humpback whale named Twain by playing whale calls through an underwater speaker. Last year, another group of researchers at the University of Southern Denmark discovered how baleen whales are able to sing underwater. Also in 2024, SETI Institute researchers discovered that whale calls made during bubble feeding events were likely a way for whales to issue instructions to the group.
