Younger, smaller whales are more apt to use forward swimming while foraging. Older, larger whales are more likely to headstand, a head-down position in which the whale pushes its mouth into the ocean floor. The probability of whales using these behaviors changes with age.
Clara Bird said: “Our findings suggest that this headstanding behavior requires strength and coordination. For example, we often see whales sculling much like synchronized swimmers do while they are head standing.
“It is likely this behavior is learned by the whales as they mature. We have footage of whale calves trying to copy this behavior, but they’re not able to do it successfully.”
The findings were just published in two new papers authored by Bird and co-authored by Associate Professor Leigh Torres, who leads the GEMM Lab at Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.
The researchers also investigated why the gray whales perform “bubble blasts” – a single big exhale while they’re underwater that produces a large circle pattern at the surface.
“While it was thought that bubble blasts helped gray whales aggregate or capture prey, our study shows that bubble blasts are a behavioral adaptation used by the whales to regulate their buoyancy while feeding in very shallow water,” Leigh Torres explained.
Produced in association with SWNS Talker
