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 in May in the journal Marine Mammal Science.
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 nonhuman intelligence, the scientists said.
Studying nonhuman intelligence can aid in the search for extraterrestrial life, the researchers said.
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 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.