Category: Whales

I have always found culture fascinating. Two people living on two sides of a border, only an hour’s drive apart, might be so different that they won’t even speak the same language. Despite the cultural difference, both communities acquire their culture in the same way- social learning. They identify and empathize with their group and imitate others around them. What astonishes me the most, is how human beings believe they are the most special on earth, while we aren’t even the first animals to develop cultures on this planet. Many other species, above and under the water, have developed their own cultures long before mankind existed. Whales are a great example of an animal which managed to develop intricate social lives underwater. If you are lucky enough, you will have the opportunity to swim or dive with whales and experience, even for a brief moment, the incredible social lives of whales. Whales love and get angry, have friends and acquaintances and teach each other how to hunt, both for survival and for fun. They communicate in a way similar to ours, but in a language which we cannot speak. A recently published article reveals how a group of Humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine have learned a new feeding method from each other; a method that is called ‘lob-tail feeding’ and was first seen in the area in 1980. Humpback Whales: Behavior and Communication Humpback whales used to have only one feeding method called the ‘bubble-net’ method, in which the whales dive under a pack of fish that are close to sea level, makes noises and bubbles. This causes the fish to get closer to each other. The whales then pounce out of the water with their mouths open to catch as many fish as they can. In the new