Orcas creates and uses tools for what appears to be a fun massage-like experience.
The population of southern residents of Killer Whale or Orca (Orcinas Orca) lives in an area of the northwest Pacific called the Salish Sea, adjacent to Washington and British Columbia. The group eats only fish, and its members are known for their strange trends, with salmon on their heads.
Now they have seen them doing something that has never been documented among marine mammals before.
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Michael Weiss and colleagues from the Whale Research Center in Friday Harbor, Washington, and took high-resolution drone footage of the orca from above, breaking a section of a nereocystis luetkeana, pressing the stem against his partner, rolling it between what appears to be meaty.
Weiss and his colleagues consider it to be the first example of marine mammal manufacturing. It is the first use of tools in wild animals to benefit two individuals, and for the first time I have seen a non-human animal that benefits two individuals at once, operating the tool with the core of the body rather than the appendix. They reported their findings in the Current Biology Journal on June 23rd.
“They use their teeth and head and body movements to break the 2 feet long length of that kelp stem, or stipe, approach another whale, and turn it over onto a platoon or nose-like nose, and the kelp presses against the side of their partner,” Weiss told Live Science.
Related: Living Lunch Box? Icelandic Orca unexpectedly swims with a baby pilot whale, but it’s unclear why.
“From there, they pilot their bodies, pushing kelp between them, sometimes rolling it back and forth for a few seconds, sometimes up to 15 minutes,” Weiss said.
Deborah Giles, ORCA specialist at the non-profit Seadoc Society who was not involved in the work, told Live Science:
Weiss’ team has seen orcas of men and women of all ages do this in the Southern resident community, in various social groups, or pods.
Animals tend to groom to reduce stress, stay healthy, create and strengthen social connections, so that’s what Orca does this?
As highly social creatures, Orcas may be expected to care for each other. Els Barmelen, a cetacean specialist at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, told Live Science that he was not involved in the job. “Even though the research is new and this particular behavior has been reported for the first time, that’s not a surprise to me.”
Weiss’ team found that kelp rubs occur more frequently between individuals associated with individuals and people of similar ages. This is what is expected when grooming correlates with strong social relationships, Weiss said.
The team also found that whales with more dead skin are more likely to rub, which could help with hygiene.
“When we talk about animal behavior, there is a function, or the fitness benefits that animals get, and that is related to health and health. But the brain also has a mechanism that makes you want to do this,” Weiss said. “I think a lot of that means feeling good.”
Some animals, such as chimpanzees, birds, and elephants, are known to create and use tools, but examples of marine animals are limited. Otters use stones to break open shells, and dolphins have been found foraging sponge in their noses, but have not made these tools.
However, kelp grooming is not the only example of how ORCA can manipulate the environment and create “tools.” They can also catch them as they are seen making waves to wash the seals out of the ice flow.
Southern residents are the only population of ORCAs that have so far used kelp for grooming, but this may be because researchers usually observe orcas on boats and are unable to see small pieces of kelp.
“I often observed killer whales rolling each other off the boat, and I think they’re engaging in this behavior all the time,” Giles said. “Drone image created opportunities to see the lives of these animals in ways never before.”
Experts are not yet wise when it comes to salmon hat trends. “I don’t know why they do that,” Giles said. “But that happens when there is more abundant access to prey. That may mean they’re playing with their own food. Putting salmon on your head might feel good.”
However, it can take time to study these amazing orcas. Southern residents are listed as the population of endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Species Act. In the last census, weiss said there were only 73 of them, and if we lose those whales. “It’s not just 73 whales,” he said. “It’s a set of cultural traditions, a unique society. This behavior may never be seen again.”
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