Imagine swimming in the ocean and seeing a giant humpback whale calmly approaching... and blowing you a perfect ring of bubbles. Science fiction? Maybe not. According to a new study by the Seti Institute and the University of California, these fascinating cetaceans may be using this behaviour as a form of inter-species communication. And yes, even with human beings.
The whispering ring: a possible form of friendly communication
The study, published in the journal Marine Mammal Science, documented for the first time 39 bubble rings products from 11 humpback whales during voluntary and friendly interactions with humans. «These animals seem really curious about us,» explains Jodi Frediani, coauthor of the study and marine photographer. «In many cases they approached boats or swimmers, blowing their rings as if they wanted to play - or communicate.».
It is nothing new that humpback whales use bubbles to hunt or in competitive contexts, but their use in peaceful and social contexts opens up fascinating new perspectives.
Non-human intelligences, bridges between different worlds
This research is part of an even broader field: the study of the’non-human intelligence to refine the search tools for extraterrestrial intelligence. The researchers' reasoning is fascinating: if we want to recognise alien signals, we must first learn to understand other intelligent languages here on Earth.
The comparison with octopuses is inevitable. With their autonomous tentacles and decentralised brains, these molluscs have already been called “aliens of our world”. But now, humpback whales could join this list, bringing a language of sounds, waves and bubbles.
Bubbles, empathy and curiosity: what if it was an invitation?
According to Laurance Doyle of the Seti Institute, «one of the prerequisites for receiving a message from space is that intelligence out there is interested in making contact. Humpback whales could offer us a terrestrial model of this attempt».
They are not only majestic creatures: humpback whales live in complex societies, they use natural instruments, and sometimes approach other animals (including us) with what appears to be altruistic intent.
One small step for a humpback whale, one giant leap for interspecies communication?
The researchers' next goal will be to attempt a true form of active communication with these creatures. A dialogue between different worlds, which starts not with words, but with something more primordial and perhaps universal: the curiosity.
