Whales

[ysabetwordsmith]

Whales blow bubble rings--And they might be talking to us

Newly documented behavior in a recently published paper by SETI Institute and UC Davis team members may offer insights into nonhuman intelligence--and help shape the search for life beyond Earth.
Humpback whales have been observed blowing bubble rings during friendly interactions with humans a behavior never before documented. This surprising display may be more than play; it could represent a sophisticated form of non-verbal communication. Scientists from the SETI Institute and UC Davis believe these interactions offer valuable insights into non-human intelligence, potentially helping refine our methods for detecting extraterrestrial life. Their findings underscore the intelligence, curiosity, and social complexity of whales, making them ideal analogues for developing communication models beyond Earth.

Comments

[acelightning2]

When cetaceans make bubble rings, they're often trying to herd fish togther to make them easier to catch. Maybe they've observed scuba divers emitting bubbles, and are trying to imitate the fizzing sound as the bubbles rise, thinking it's a sound we use for communication.

Doctor John Lilly, a scientist who had a grad student live in a specially designed habitat with a dolphin, had a fair amount of luck when the assistant tried to sing back at the dolphin. And one time I was at the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn, standing next to the tank with the beluga whales, and I tried repeating their sounds back to them, which they seemed to find entertaining.

[see_also_friend]

>>...I tried repeating their sounds back to them, which they seemed to find entertaining.<<<

If it's communication, than yeah, generally any social species will generally react to /recognizable/ communication. I once freaked out the family cat by doing a 'distress wail' in Cat...which that particular cat had never heard me do before.

Although if human mimicry induces a Cuteness Proximity effect, that would be kind of hilarious!

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I can manage basic conversations in Cat, Dog, Wolf, Horse, and several birds.

Re: Yes ...

[see_also_friend]

I am Personal Servant to that particular cat, so I think they were particularly freaked out.

And I do converse in Cat with the cats.

[acelightning2]

I ; fairly fluent in Feline, even though I don't have whiskers or a tail, and I can't move my ears. (I've never had the opportunity to learn Canine.) I used to say "Sit still and shut up" to my cat when necessary.

[see_also_friend]

I don't think humans can reliably make huge bubble rig like whales... What if the humans swam in a circle, kicking up the water? Would the whales recognize it as mirroring?

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

Humans can't make a single-bubble ring as big as a whale's but some can learn to do it. A human can make a smaller version of a bubble-net with many bubbles. Some scuba divers do it to corral fish for photographs.

Re: Thoughts

[see_also_friend]

I've made bubble-rings in a pool, but I can't manage ones big enough to impress a whale. We would either have to do it right by the eyes (challenging, since they might bump into us) from underneath (not sure how safe it is to swim under a whale) or figure out how to do a bigger display.

And with a splash-circle, it migh be understood as the response part to a call-and-response.