Killer whales seen grooming each other with kelp in first for marine tool use | Cetaceans

The killers have been observed mutually preparing each other with a type of algae, the first known example of a marine animal using tools in a way that was previously considered to be the reserve of primates such as humans.

A group of killers-tutors, also known as the Orcas, bit short sections of bull Varech, then rolled these stems between their bodies, possibly to eliminate the skin or dead parasites. Behavior is the first documented mutual grooming of this type in marine animals and is described in a new scientific article.

The discovery was made in a group contained in 73 killers of killers who live in the southern part of the Salish Sea, a section of the Pacific Ocean clearing the Washington Coast in the United States and British Columbia in Canada.

The researchers were surprised to see a whale remove a section of 2 feet of Varech, balance it on its nose, then approach another whale to wedge the Varech between their body and rub it between them. At first, scientists thought it was a single original offs, but then noticed that it was a widespread behavior within the group, according to the document, published in Journal Current Biology.

“We started to keep an eye on the behavior and we realized that it was common common behavior, which was a very exciting moment,” said Michael Weiss, research director at the Center for Whale Research and the main study of the study.

“We realized that we had stumbled on a newly described behavior, which is remarkable. You don’t even think it is a possibility of finding something new like that when you observe the whales.”

Cetaceans such as whales have already been seen with draped varech on their bodies, a practice known as “Kelping”. The behavior observed for the first time last year and published in the new study, however, differs because the Varech is selected, cut and manipulated between two whales working together.

Allokeling has occurred between all whales in the pod, but in particular between those which are closely linked, of a similar age and involving those who have a lot of dead skin. This has led researchers to assert that grooming is carried out to eliminate dead skin, help whales to remain safe from parasites and to promote the type of social ties that a limited group of other animals, such as humans, obtains interaction in this way.

“In primates, including humans, touching stress and helping to establish relations,” said Darren Croft, researcher at the University of Exeter and executive director of the Center for Whale Research. “We know that the killers often come into contact with other members of their group, touching with their body and their fins, but the use of Varech as this could improve this experience.

“It could also be important for skin health. Whales and dolphins have a variety of strategies to help them reduce dead skin, and this can be another adaptation to this purpose. ”

The killers, despite their name, are the largest members of the Dolphin family and can reach up to 33 feet (10 meters) long and weigh up to 22,000 pounds (10,000 kg). Known to be an intelligent apex predator found in all the oceans of the world, the killers have been seen working in cooperation during hunting, but so far, we do not know that they have used tools in this way.

The deployment of tools is observed elsewhere in the animal world, especially with chimpanzees using sticks to recover the termites from a mound. Elephants, tamarins and crows have also been seen using tools in one way or another, although few creatures, other than humans, are known to use mutually beneficial tools documented in Salish sea killeines.

“It doesn’t surprise me that they have these complex social interactions because we know that they are developing deep ties between them, that they are very intelligent and that they summarize problems in their environment,” said Weiss.

A more surprising aspect of the discovery said Weiss was the duration of the duration. Salish shipping killers have been studied for 50 years, with the use of Varech only spotted last year. “These are probably the most monitored marine mammals in the world,” said Weiss.

“It really shows that these whales have so much to teach us and that scratching the surface of their life and their behavior. There are probably many other behaviors of what expects from what we expect, in this marine species and in other marine species. ”

A breakthrough in a better understanding of the life of the whales came by the use of cameras on drones, which allowed researchers to observe them more closely. By stealing and zooming in on the pod when he was swimming together, the researchers could distinguish the short strands of Varech and how they were in a hurry and move between the whales.

The discoveries of the study were “incredible” and raised the issue of other cases of using Cetacean tools, said Monika Wieland Shields, director of Orca Behavior Institute, who was not involved in research.

“So far, there is still a fairly small allokelping sample, but if, as the authors suggest, this behavior relates to the social care of the skin, it has probably been omnipresent for some time,” she said. “This research demonstrates the new behavioral, cultural and social ideas that can come from relatively new techniques such as drone observation.”

Distinct whale groups are known to share certain features, such as their songs containing regional “accents” in different parts of the ocean around the world. The researchers said they wanted to discover whether Varech’s grooming practices are unique to this group of killers or if they are also found elsewhere.

Even if this grooming practice has just been discovered, it is threatened. The group of 73 whales did not engage with other household populations and Weiss said that the prospects were “very dark” while the group decreases slowly. The whales feed mainly on Chinook, or “king”, the salmon which has undergone a decrease in the population due to overfishing, the climate crisis and the destruction of the habitat of Frai by the dams built on the rivers.

The Varech of the Taurus itself, meanwhile, is threatened by global heating, which means that the oceans around the world are heating up quickly. The varech thrives in colder water and entirely algae bands are wiped out in the northwest of the Pacific as the conditions become hotter and warmer.

“The killers are in danger and we also risk losing this unique behavior,” said Weiss. “If we lose them, we may never see this behavior on the planet again. We don’t just lose 73 whales; We have lost everything they have been doing for thousands and thousands of years. ”