Humpback whales have been observed blowing giant, perfect circle-shaped bubble rings underwater, sparking a new study suggesting they may be attempting to communicate with humans who observe them.
Researchers analyzed over 39 bubble rings generated by 11 different humpback whales, collected from various sources including videos and photos taken by swimmers, boats, planes, and drones. The data showed that the whales produced these bubble rings near boats or human swimmers, but surprisingly, there was no aggression towards humans during these interactions.
In fact, eight out of nine ring blowers approached the boat or swimmers, indicating a playful and friendly behavior. This observation is supported by previous studies on other whale species exhibiting similar behavior near research and tourist vessels.
The study suggests that intentionally blowing bubble rings may be one more sign of intentional interaction between whales and humans. However, more data is needed to confirm the true meaning behind these effervescent messages.
Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/humpback-whale-bubble-rings-may-be-an-attempt-to-communicate-with-us