Humpback Whales Use 'Smoke Rings' to Communicate? SETI Study Reveals Fascinating Discovery

Humpback Whales' Mysterious Bubble Rings: A New Form of Communication? A recent study by the SETI Institute, known for its search for extraterrestrial intelligence, has revealed a fascinating discovery about humpback whales. Researchers have documented, for the first time, humpback whales producing large bubble rings, similar to smoke rings blown by humans, during friendly interactions with humans. This behavior, previously unstudied, may represent play or communication. 'This is different than the nets that I've talked about whales making in the past,' says Zeke Darwin, a science teacher and TikToker who shared the study on his platform. 'It's more like when people are vaping and sending out those little smoke rings.' The study, published in Marine Mammal Science, analyzed various observations of whales creating these rings, both in the presence and absence of humans. The researchers concluded that the most likely hypothesis is that the whales are creating these rings out of curiosity and a desire to interact. This finding aligns with the SETI Institute's broader interest in communication across species, suggesting that even seemingly simple behaviors might hold clues to complex interspecies interactions. The study highlights the ongoing efforts to understand the intelligence and communication capabilities of marine mammals, opening up new avenues of research into the mysteries of the ocean's depths.