Humpback whales can use tools! Not, like, cordless drills and belt sanders, but tools of their own creation that are made of air bubbles that they use to trap their prey. The findings were detailed in a scientific journal called Royal Society Open Science.
We’ve known for a bit that humpback whales use “bubble-net feeding” techniques, where they blow bubbles underwater to trap and stun krill. The latest study shows that these whales also carefully craft and adjust their bubble nets so they can capture up to seven times more prey per dive. So not only can they make a tool, they can refine it, perfect it, and adjust it to the situation.
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Researchers took to Southeast Alaska, where they deployed drones and suction-cup tracking tags to monitor the whales’ feeding behaviors. Our tools helped us analyze their tools, which will not only go a long way in helping us better understand how humpbacks survive but also help us figure out how to help them survive.
If we know how much they eat, when they eat, and when they eat more or less, then we better understand what we need to do to ensure their food supply remains intact. Since crustaceans make up the majority of their diets, and around 25% of crustacean species are at risk of extinction, we need to learn how to maintain those populations. If we lose them, we lose humpbacks.
Luckily, they seem to be getting on just fine now, making tools and learning how to make the small adjustments that improve their efficiency. If they ever figure out the whole living on land thing, though, we are so fucked.
