Scientists believe that humpback whales should link the esteemed rank of tool exploiter , along withHomo sapiens , anthropoid , crows , and a variety of other crack - smart creature . Unlike these other clever fibre , humpbacks are particularly special because they create the tools themselves and ingeniously adapt them to suit their demand .
The tools in head are“bubble nets”produced by the heavyweight ’s blowhole that are used to herd and catch krill . In a new subject , researcher show how humpback whale in Alaska skillfully manipulate their unequaled bubble nets in various slipway to maximize their food intake .
“ Many beast employ tools to help them notice food , but very few really produce or modify these tools themselves , ” Professor Lars Bejder , co - lead author of the study and Director of the Marine Mammal Research Program ( MMRP ) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa , enjoin in astatement .
“ This little - studied foraging behavior is wholly unique to humpback whale . It ’s so incredible to see these animal in their natural habitat , performing behavior that only a few hoi polloi ever get to see , ” explain co - source and MMRP researcher William Gough .
To acquire about this unbelievable behavior , the research worker manoeuvre to the sea off Southeast Alaska and monitored the heavyweight using non - invasive suck - cup rag on heavyweight and drone videography . The wealth of datum show that the behavior is astonishingly complex – it appears the humpbacks can accurately gauge the size of it of the krill swarm and fine - tune their bubble be adrift to optimise each catch .
“ These whales skillfully swash bubbles in pattern that spring meshing with internal ring , actively manipulate details like the routine of rings , the size and depth of the meshing , and the spacing between bubbles . This method let them capture up to seven times more fair game in a single feeding dive without using extra energy . This impressive deportment places humpback heavyweight among the rare group of creature that both make and use their own puppet for hunting , ” Bejder explained .
Humpback whales(Megaptera novaeangliae ) are one of the largest animals on the planet , reaching lengths of up to 18.3 beat ( 60 feet ) . The species are baleen giant , the same as other behemoth like gentle heavyweight and fin heavyweight .
Their population numbers were decimated by the whale industriousness in the 19th and 20th century , although have finagle to bounce back in recent decennium . Still , the specie faces a slew of terror , fromclimate changeand habitat passing to watercraft strikes and contamination .
The good news , the researcher say , is that they are clear imaginative and intelligent creature that are relatively well - disposed to face the challenge before .
“ What I find exciting is that humpback have total up with complex shaft allowing them to exploit fair game aggregations that otherwise would be unavailable to them . It is this behavioural flexibility and cleverness that I trust will dish these whale well as our oceans continue to exchange , ” note Andy Szabo , co - lead study source and Executive Director of the Alaska Whale Foundation .
The raw work is published in the journalRoyal Society Open Science .
