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The Independent
03-07-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Orcas captured ‘kissing' on camera for the first time
Watch the moment two orcas were caught on camera 'kissing' in the wild for the first time. Remarkable footage shows the pair of killer whales nibbling each other's tongues for almost two minutes before parting and swimming away. The unusual interaction was captured by a group of nature tourists on a snorkelling expedition in the Norwegian Fjords in October 2024. In a paper published in the journal Oceans on June 11 analysing the behaviour, the researchers described the interaction as 'repeated episodes of gentle, face-to-face oral contact'. Study author Dr Javier Almunia told Live Science: 'This behaviour appears to serve affiliative purposes and may play a role in reinforcing social bonds or resolving conflicts, akin to grooming or reconciliation behaviours in other highly social species.'
News.com.au
03-07-2025
- Science
- News.com.au
Wild, never-before seen orca makeout footage stuns
The killer smooch was caught on camera by scientists during a snorkelling trip in northern Norway. The tender interaction between the two orcas - also known as killer whales - took place in the dramatic Kvænangen fjords, about 68 miles northeast of Tromsø. In the nearly two-minute-long video, the orcas are seen engaging in three separate 'kissing' episodes, lasting 10, 26 and 18 seconds each. During these intimate moments, one orca extends its tongue while the other appears to gently mouth or nibble it. After the final 'kiss', the highly intelligent mammals part ways and swim off in opposite directions. In the paper published in the journal Oceans, researchers describe the two adult orcas as engaging in 'repeated episodes of gentle, face-to-face oral contact'. The snorkellers floated quietly and horizontally in the water - careful not to disturb the orcas - and filmed the interaction on a GoPro. Scientists call this tactile interaction 'tongue-nibbling'. Study author Dr Javier Almunia told Live Science that 'tongue-nibbling is exceptionally rare', explaining that, until now, this behaviour had only been seen in orcas in human care. While tongue-nibbling has not been recorded in other species, similar mouth-to-mouth contact has been spotted in belugas, according to Dr Almunia. He added: 'This behaviour appears to serve affiliative purposes and may play a role in reinforcing social bonds or resolving conflicts, akin to grooming or reconciliation behaviours in other highly social species.' Mouth-to-mouth contact in orcas was previously recorded in 2013 at Loro Parque, a zoo on Tenerife. During that observation, 'one individual protruded its tongue while the other made gentle nibbling movements,' the study authors, Dr Almunia and colleagues, explain. The zoo-keepers reported that tongue-nibbling behaviour had been noted in four individual orcas at the park. Mouth-to-mouth contact was first documented in captive orcas in a 1978 study by Paul Spong and Ingrid Visser, who suggested it plays a role in maintaining social cohesion. It comes as two pals on a fishing trip spotted what appeared to be a pod of killer whales in the Channel. David Hilton, 64, and Paul Bradshaw, 61, were angling off the South Coast when they saw several large creatures breaching the surface. They appeared to be hunting dolphins in busy international shipping lanes, just five miles south of Plymouth, Devon. Orcas are found in oceans all over the world, but they are most commonly seen in the Pacific Northwest (US and Canada), Norway, Iceland and the Antarctic water. But sightings in the Channel are rare. The Channel is not a typical habitat for orcas as it is shallow and heavily trafficked.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Orca Whales Captured 'Making Out' in the Wild For the First Time in 'Exceptionally Rare' Kissing Session
Scientists have recorded wild orcas "tongue-nibbling" for the first time, sharing the evidence in a recent study The behavior is considered "extremely rare" by scientists and was previously only seen by juvenile orcas in captivity Scientists believe that the kissing-like behavior likely reinforces "social bonds" between the animalsScientists have recorded the wild orcas engaging in "tongue-nibbling" — a social behavior similar to "making out" or French kissing — for the first time ever. Details on the documentation of this rare behavior appear in a new study published in the Oceans journal on June 11. Prior to the study, which includes images of two young wild killer whales "tongue-nibbling" in the waters near Norway, the behavior was only witnessed in a handful of captive orcas. According to the study, "tongue nibbling" is a "socially affiliative behavior" which likely reinforces "social bonds" — particularly among juvenile orcas. It is also a behavior that is deemed "exceptionally rare," the study's co-author, Javier Almunia, told Live Science. "Orca caretakers at several facilities are aware of the behaviour, but its prevalence is extremely low — it may appear and then not be observed again for several years," he told the outlet. The "tongue-nibbling" behavior documented in the study was observed by a group of snorkelers under the supervision of expedition leaders on January 11, 2024, in the Kvænangen fjords, located in northern Norway. The snorkelers observed two killer whales "engaging in a prolonged mouth-to-mouth interaction" that lasted almost two minutes. The snorkelers noted that the orcas "approached one another and maintained contact between the anterior portions of their heads" as they interacted. "At that time, some observers on board remarked that the animals appeared to be 'kissing' beneath the boat—a description identical to that provided independently by the guests who recorded the event in Tverrfjorden," the study said. Photos captured of the event and shared in the study show one orca opening its mouth as the other encloses its mouth around the other animal's tongue. Scientists noted in the study that "one individual protruded its tongue while the other made gentle nibbling movements." Scientists said after recording the behavior, they "consulted" with three professional divers and underwater videographers with extensive experience documenting killer whales, who noted that they had not witnessed the "tongue-nibbling" before. Senior marine mammal trainers at Loro Parque confirmed that they had observed this behavior among "four individuals housed at the facility," although they had not witnessed it in "subsequent years," according to the study. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The study noted that there were "significant parallels" between the orcas' "tongue-nibbling" and "mouth-to-mouth interactions" in belugas. The scientists shared that those behaviors often involved "younger individuals" and served an "affiliative function." "This could suggest that, given cetacean anatomy — particularly the adaptation of limbs to the marine environment — oral contact may serve as a more versatile means of social communication than in terrestrial mammals," Almunia told Live Science. However, scientists also noted that they were uncertain why the orcas exhibited these behaviors, and further research would be needed to understand "tongue-nibbling" definitively. Luke Rendall, a marine mammal researcher at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, told Live Science that the behavior "may be affiliative, it might be a form of begging, that is trying to stimulate food transfers, it might even be a form of grooming, somehow having a cleaning function." Read the original article on People
