Latest news with #tooluse
New York Times
2 days ago
- Science
- New York Times
Orcas Use Kelp as a Possible Grooming Tool
A hundred feet or more above the Salish Sea — high enough to avoid spooking any marine mammals below — a drone camera recorded orcas periodically pairing up to perform a sort of swimming, rolling hug. That was nothing new for the Southern Residents, a group of orcas in the Pacific Northwest that lives south of other groups. But when researchers inspected the drone videos, which were filmed last year, they noticed something they had not seen before: A little piece of kelp was often sandwiched between the creatures' bodies. The research, published this week in the journal Current Biology, is among the most compelling evidence yet that marine mammals make and use tools, a skill more commonly attributed to terrestrial animals like monkeys, humans and crows. Michael Weiss, an author of the study who is the research director for the Center for Whale Research in Washington State, said that the Southern Residents had long used their intelligence and social skills to adapt to a challenging environment. The group of 73 orcas, which are often called killer whales, has been shrinking for decades and was listed as endangered in 2005. 'I'm not surprised that we eventually found tool use in killer whales,' Dr. Weiss said. 'But it was obviously a surprise to see this particular behavior, because we just had no idea it was happening.' Kelp is not that hard to find in the waters near British Columbia and Washington State, where these orcas generally stay. But they were not just grabbing any old floating stalk. They were using their teeth to break off pieces, which were almost always about two feet long. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Killer whales seen grooming each other
A discovery of unique killer whale behavior may be the first documented time a marine species has been seen using and creating tools for something not food-related. The finding was made in Washington by the Center for Whale Research, and it wouldn't have happened without the diligence of researchers. 'It was almost like puzzle pieces coming together because we started noticing with the great drone camera, but we were unsure if it was something new, a one-off or two-off situation, if it's just something weird they're doing, they do weird things all the time,' said Rachel John, a researcher with the Center for Whale Research. Over several periods between April and July 2024, researchers such as John, Dr. Michael Weiss, and others watched as a whale would cut a piece of kelp loose, pin it on another Orca, then rotate its body to roll the kelp on the other whale. In some instances, the other Orca would return the favor. 'This is a major part of their social lives… we are now seeing this behavior more times than we are not,' Weiss said. The team has dubbed the behavior 'allogrooming,' and while they haven't been able to definitively show the purpose, they theorize the whales use kelp to care for each other's skin. 'We have found some evidence that whales with more dead skin are more likely to engage in this behavior, but we also need to see if they engage in this behavior enough, and whether they start to effectively remove dead skin,' Weiss said. 'It's also a case of tool manufacturing or tool fashioning. Both of those things are quite rare in animals generally and particularly rare in marine mammals.' It's the first documented case of tool use and tool creation by a marine species, according to the Center for Whale Research. CWR also says it could also potentially be the first occurrence in which a tool is created by an animal that benefits two animals at the same time, and the first use of a tool by an animal using their body, rather than an appendage. 'It's quite remarkable the way they managed to manipulate this kelp. It requires coordination between the two whales,' Weiss said. 'Their ability to coordinate their movements, to sense where the kelp is, and to have, not hand-eye coordination, but the physical ability to move their bodies the way they need to is really impressive.' The discovery was made thanks to new drones the Center acquired after a grant from the Rose Foundation. Weiss and his team are continuing to look into the behavior as they study other aspects of killer whales as well. So far, Weiss says it's almost certainly a learned behavior that is distinct in the J, K, and L pods that make up the Southern Resident Orcas. The transient Biggs Killer Whales that migrate through the Puget Sound and Salish Sea do not exhibit the same behavior, despite cutting kelp free and moving through bull kelp forests. 'We also want to look over time to see if whales who do this behavior together are more likely to then show other kind of cooperative behaviors, like hunting together and sharing food and other forms of social interaction to really demonstrate more clearly whether or not this behavior helps build social bonds,' Weiss said. The Center for Whale Research is a non-profit organization predominantly supported by public donations. For more information, you can visit their website.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Science
- CTV News
Killer whales use seaweed as tools to groom each other
A baby orca named L125, swims with its mother, L86, in this undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Dave Ellifrit, Center for Whale Research Killer whales are known for exceptional intelligence, displaying complex social structures and sophisticated communication. New research provides fresh evidence for this, documenting how these marine mammals use stalks of seaweed as tools to groom each other - as in, 'You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.' Using drones to observe a population of killer whales in the Salish Sea, part of the Pacific Ocean between Washington state and British Columbia, researchers noticed that these predators engaged in a behaviour they named 'allokelping,' one of the few known examples of tool use by marine mammals. The killer whales find large stalks of a type of seaweed called bull kelp, either attached to the seabed or floating at the surface. They then bite off the end of the stalk, position it between themselves and another killer whale and roll the kelp between their bodies. The researchers hypothesize that the behavior promotes skin health while strengthening social bonds. Other populations of killer whales have been observed rubbing their bodies on smooth stone beaches, possibly to remove dead skin. 'Most examples of tool use in animals involve solving ecological problems, such as gaining access to food. For example, chimpanzees use sticks to fish for termites. What's remarkable about this discovery is that the tool - the kelp - is used not to obtain food but to facilitate social interaction,' said marine biologist Darren Croft of the University of Exeter in England, co-author of the study published this week in the journal Current Biology. 'This kind of socially motivated tool use is extremely rare in non-human animals and has previously only been observed in a small number of primates, usually in captivity,' added Croft, executive director of the Center for Whale Research, a scientific organization based in Washington state that has studied this population of killer whales since the 1970s. The researchers documented the behavior among both male and female killer whales of all ages. It likely plays an important role in their social lives, Croft said. There are some other examples of tool use among marine mammals. Sea otters use rocks and other hard objects to crack open shells to get at the meat inside. And certain dolphins use marine sponges to protect their snouts and stir up the seabed while foraging. The researchers said the behaviour by the killer whales goes one step further because they modify an object for use as a tool. 'While this is not the first documented case of cetacean or marine mammal tool use, it is - as far as we know - the first case of cetacean tool manufacturing with tool use. The whales are not just finding perfect lengths of kelp in the environment, but rather actively modifying larger intact stalks of kelp to create the pieces they are using for allokelping,' said study co-author Rachel John, a University of Exeter graduate student studying killer whale behaviour. 'Another key part of what makes this behaviour so unique is the fact that they are manipulating the kelp cooperatively with a partner without the use of hands or any hand-like appendages. They use their mouth to position the kelp initially, but after that they only use the momentum and pressure of the core of their bodies to maintain contact with each other and the kelp between them,' John added. The behaviour is known only among this killer whale population. 'We found that individuals with more visible peeling skin were more likely to engage in allokelping, suggesting that the behavior may serve a skin-care function. Brown seaweeds like kelp are known to have antibacterial properties, so it's plausible that rubbing with kelp helps improve skin health,' Croft said. 'Second, we think this behavior likely plays a role in maintaining social bonds. Physical contact is known to be important for social cohesion in many species, including humans. Just as we might hug a friend we haven't seen in a while, it's possible that allokelping serves to reinforce social relationships among whales,' Croft added. This kelp grows in cold and nutrient-rich coastal and intertidal waters and thrives off the western coast of North America, which includes the home range of these killer whales. This population is at grave risk of extinction, Croft said, with only 73 individuals counted in the latest census. They are highly specialized salmon hunters, particularly reliant on Chinook salmon. As salmon populations have declined, in part due to dam-building on spawning rivers, the whales have struggled to find enough food. 'In short, they are starving,' Croft said. By Will Dunham (Reporting by Will Dunham in Washington, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
Reuters
4 days ago
- Science
- Reuters
Killer whales use seaweed as tools to groom each other
June 24 (Reuters) - Killer whales are known for exceptional intelligence, displaying complex social structures and sophisticated communication. New research provides fresh evidence for this, documenting how these marine mammals use stalks of seaweed as tools to groom each other - as in, "You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours." Using drones to observe a population of killer whales in the Salish Sea, part of the Pacific Ocean between Washington state and British Columbia, researchers noticed that these predators engaged in a behavior they named "allokelping," one of the few known examples of tool use by marine mammals. The killer whales find large stalks of a type of seaweed called bull kelp, either attached to the seabed or floating at the surface. They then bite off the end of the stalk, position it between themselves and another killer whale and roll the kelp between their bodies. The researchers hypothesize that the behavior promotes skin health while strengthening social bonds. Other populations of killer whales have been observed rubbing their bodies on smooth stone beaches, possibly to remove dead skin. "Most examples of tool use in animals involve solving ecological problems, such as gaining access to food. For example, chimpanzees use sticks to fish for termites. What's remarkable about this discovery is that the tool - the kelp - is used not to obtain food but to facilitate social interaction," said marine biologist Darren Croft of the University of Exeter in England, co-author of the study published this week in the journal Current Biology, opens new tab. "This kind of socially motivated tool use is extremely rare in non-human animals and has previously only been observed in a small number of primates, usually in captivity," added Croft, executive director of the Center for Whale Research, a scientific organization based in Washington state that has studied this population of killer whales since the 1970s. The researchers documented the behavior among both male and female killer whales of all ages. It likely plays an important role in their social lives, Croft said. There are some other examples of tool use among marine mammals. Sea otters use rocks and other hard objects to crack open shells to get at the meat inside. And certain dolphins use marine sponges to protect their snouts and stir up the seabed while foraging. The researchers said the behavior by the killer whales goes one step further because they modify an object for use as a tool. "While this is not the first documented case of cetacean or marine mammal tool use, it is - as far as we know - the first case of cetacean tool manufacturing with tool use. The whales are not just finding perfect lengths of kelp in the environment, but rather actively modifying larger intact stalks of kelp to create the pieces they are using for allokelping," said study co-author Rachel John, a University of Exeter graduate student studying killer whale behavior. "Another key part of what makes this behavior so unique is the fact that they are manipulating the kelp cooperatively with a partner without the use of hands or any hand-like appendages. They use their mouth to position the kelp initially, but after that they only use the momentum and pressure of the core of their bodies to maintain contact with each other and the kelp between them," John added. The behavior is known only among this killer whale population. "We found that individuals with more visible peeling skin were more likely to engage in allokelping, suggesting that the behavior may serve a skin-care function. Brown seaweeds like kelp are known to have antibacterial properties, so it's plausible that rubbing with kelp helps improve skin health," Croft said. "Second, we think this behavior likely plays a role in maintaining social bonds. Physical contact is known to be important for social cohesion in many species, including humans. Just as we might hug a friend we haven't seen in a while, it's possible that allokelping serves to reinforce social relationships among whales," Croft added. This kelp grows in cold and nutrient-rich coastal and intertidal waters and thrives off the western coast of North America, which includes the home range of these killer whales. This population is at grave risk of extinction, Croft said, with only 73 individuals counted in the latest census. They are highly specialized salmon hunters, particularly reliant on Chinook salmon. As salmon populations have declined, in part due to dam-building on spawning rivers, the whales have struggled to find enough food. "In short, they are starving," Croft said.
CNA
4 days ago
- Science
- CNA
Killer whales use seaweed as tools to groom each other
Killer whales are known for exceptional intelligence, displaying complex social structures and sophisticated communication. New research provides fresh evidence for this, documenting how these marine mammals use stalks of seaweed as tools to groom each other - as in, "You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours." Using drones to observe a population of killer whales in the Salish Sea, part of the Pacific Ocean between Washington state and British Columbia, researchers noticed that these predators engaged in a behavior they named "allokelping," one of the few known examples of tool use by marine mammals. The killer whales find large stalks of a type of seaweed called bull kelp, either attached to the seabed or floating at the surface. They then bite off the end of the stalk, position it between themselves and another killer whale and roll the kelp between their bodies. The researchers hypothesize that the behavior promotes skin health while strengthening social bonds. Other populations of killer whales have been observed rubbing their bodies on smooth stone beaches, possibly to remove dead skin. "Most examples of tool use in animals involve solving ecological problems, such as gaining access to food. For example, chimpanzees use sticks to fish for termites. What's remarkable about this discovery is that the tool - the kelp - is used not to obtain food but to facilitate social interaction," said marine biologist Darren Croft of the University of Exeter in England, co-author of the study published this week in the journal Current Biology. "This kind of socially motivated tool use is extremely rare in non-human animals and has previously only been observed in a small number of primates, usually in captivity," added Croft, executive director of the Center for Whale Research, a scientific organization based in Washington state that has studied this population of killer whales since the 1970s. The researchers documented the behavior among both male and female killer whales of all ages. It likely plays an important role in their social lives, Croft said. There are some other examples of tool use among marine mammals. Sea otters use rocks and other hard objects to crack open shells to get at the meat inside. And certain dolphins use marine sponges to protect their snouts and stir up the seabed while foraging. The researchers said the behavior by the killer whales goes one step further because they modify an object for use as a tool. "While this is not the first documented case of cetacean or marine mammal tool use, it is - as far as we know - the first case of cetacean tool manufacturing with tool use. The whales are not just finding perfect lengths of kelp in the environment, but rather actively modifying larger intact stalks of kelp to create the pieces they are using for allokelping," said study co-author Rachel John, a University of Exeter graduate student studying killer whale behavior. "Another key part of what makes this behavior so unique is the fact that they are manipulating the kelp cooperatively with a partner without the use of hands or any hand-like appendages. They use their mouth to position the kelp initially, but after that they only use the momentum and pressure of the core of their bodies to maintain contact with each other and the kelp between them," John added. The behavior is known only among this killer whale population. "We found that individuals with more visible peeling skin were more likely to engage in allokelping, suggesting that the behavior may serve a skin-care function. Brown seaweeds like kelp are known to have antibacterial properties, so it's plausible that rubbing with kelp helps improve skin health," Croft said. "Second, we think this behavior likely plays a role in maintaining social bonds. Physical contact is known to be important for social cohesion in many species, including humans. Just as we might hug a friend we haven't seen in a while, it's possible that allokelping serves to reinforce social relationships among whales," Croft added. This kelp grows in cold and nutrient-rich coastal and intertidal waters and thrives off the western coast of North America, which includes the home range of these killer whales. This population is at grave risk of extinction, Croft said, with only 73 individuals counted in the latest census. They are highly specialized salmon hunters, particularly reliant on Chinook salmon. As salmon populations have declined, in part due to dam-building on spawning rivers, the whales have struggled to find enough food. "In short, they are starving," Croft said.
