Humpback whales may be playfully communicating with humans through a behavior known as blowing bubble rings. Researchers from the SETI Institute documented this behavior in friendly interactions between humpback whales and humans. According to the scientists, the bubbles could represent a form of communication or play.
The researchers studied 39 bubble ring-productions by 11 individual whales over 12 episodes and found that the whales were directing the bubbles towards humans with an apparent attempt to engage in playful interaction. This behavior is part of a broader goal to study non-human intelligence, which can aid in the search for extraterrestrial life.
Studying intelligent marine mammals like humpback whales can help develop filters to parse cosmic signals for signs of extraterrestrial life. The SETI whale team aims to analyze aquatic communication systems to better understand potential non-terrestrial life forms.
The discovery supports an important assumption that extraterrestrial intelligence and life may be interested in making contact with humans, according to Laurance Doyle, a SETI Institute scientist.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/US/humpback-whales-playfully-communicating-humans-scientists/story?id=122651507