Humpback whales greet humans by blowing bubbles, say scientists

Humpback whales are known to be very intelligent mammals

Humpback whales are known for being pretty smart mammals, and researchers have made a discovery that may tell us even more about them.

A team of scientists from the SETI Institute and the University of California at Davis have documented humpback whales blowing large bubble rings when interacting with people for the first time.

They believe it could be a way in which the whales greet humans, representing either play or communication.

Many of the bubble rings recorded by the researchers were near boats or human swimmers

Humpback whales blowing bubbles has been seen before, mainly when they're either tracking down their prey or competing for the attention of a female whale.

But the latest discovery suggests the mammals' bubble rings, which they make by forcing air through their blowholes and mouths, could also be used when it comes to encounters with humans.

"We show they are blowing bubble rings in our direction in an apparent attempt to playfully interact, observe our response, and/or engage in some form of communication," said Dr. Fred Sharpe who is a co-lead author on the study which was published in in the journal Marine Mammal Science.

As part of their research, the team looked at 12 separate instances of bubble production involving 39 rings made by 11 different whales.

Humpback whales are known for blowing bubbles in different instances

Out of the twelve episodes reported, ten were collected near a boat or near human swimmers, with eight of the bubble ring blowers actually coming closer.

Six of the episodes had more than one whale present and there was no sign of annoyance or aggressive behaviour towards the boats or humans in any of them.

"Humpback whales often exhibit inquisitive, friendly behaviour towards boats and human swimmers," said co-lead author Jodi Frediani who is a marine wildlife photographer.

"We've now located a dozen whales from populations around the world, the majority of which have voluntarily approached boats and swimmers, blowing bubble rings during these episodes of curious behaviour."