In a groundbreaking study, researchers from the SETI Institute and the University of California at Davis have uncovered a fascinating and playful behavior exhibited by humpback whales: the creation of bubble rings. While these majestic marine mammals have long been recognized for using bubbles in various contexts—such as feeding and competing for mates—this particular behavior has a unique twist: it appears to be aimed at humans.

The findings were published in a peer-reviewed study in Marine Mammal Science, where the research team meticulously analyzed twelve episodes of bubble ring production. In total, they documented 39 individual bubble rings made by 11 different whales. The data for this study was gathered through a collaborative effort involving naturalists, citizen scientists, and researchers. The team conducted interviews and scrutinized various videos and photographs taken during these unique encounters. Additionally, they analyzed drone footage to ascertain whether the whales would create bubble rings in the absence of human presence. Surprisingly, the results indicated that humpback whales do indeed produce bubble rings primarily during friendly interactions with humans.

Jodi Frediani, co-lead author of the study and a marine wildlife photographer affiliated with UC Davis, expressed her excitement about the findings. “Humpback whales often exhibit inquisitive, friendly behavior towards boats and human swimmers,” she noted. “We’ve identified a dozen whales from populations across the globe, most of which voluntarily approached boats and swimmers while blowing bubble rings during these curious interactions.”

This discovery adds a layer of intrigue to our understanding of whale behavior. It suggests that these gentle giants not only communicate with one another but also seek to engage with humans in a playful and social manner. Given the complex social structures of humpback whales, this finding might not come as a complete surprise.

Dr. Fred Sharpe, the other co-lead author and also an affiliate of UC Davis, elaborated on the social dynamics of humpback whales: “Humpback whales live in complex societies, are acoustically diverse, use bubble tools, and even assist other species that are being threatened by predators,” he said. “Now, akin to a candidate signal, 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.”

Throughout the bubble ring encounters, which occurred close to human swimmers in 10 out of the 12 observed instances, the whales displayed calm and relaxed behavior. This observation reinforces the idea that these interactions are characterized by curiosity rather than aggression.

The information garnered from this study will play a crucial role in fulfilling the SETI Institute's mission of exploring non-human intelligence, which could aid in the broader search for extraterrestrial intelligence beyond Earth.

Dr. Laurance Doyle, a scientist at the SETI Institute and a co-author on the paper, highlighted the significance of these findings. “Given current limitations on technology, a core assumption in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is that such life forms would be interested in making contact with human receivers,” he explained. “The independent evolution of curious behavior in humpback whales certainly supports this assumption.”

This study aligns with recent research showing how humpback whales create bubble rings during positive interactions with humans, further illuminating the intelligence and social complexity of these extraordinary creatures.