Massage of killers killers

Orcs in the northern Pacific have been seen “chewed” – rubbing pieces of Varech between their bodies.

Using drones, the researchers filmed the animals by selecting and biting the Varech, then placing the piece of algae in the form of a tube at the back of another whale.

Scientists believe that massages could have a health or hygiene function, but they also believe that they are a form of social bond.

The results, published in the journal Current Biology, seem to be an example of using tools in killer whales – with animals shaping a tubular song of algae and using it for specific and planned use.

“Let us call this a Varech massage,” said Professor Darren Croft at the University of Exeter and the Center for Whale Research in Washington.

“They use the Varech to rub between them.”

For 12 days – between April and July 2024 – to study a population of orcas known as southern residents in the coastal waters of the Washington state, the team recorded 30 Varech massage access.

“We see it several times a day,” said the principal researcher, Dr. Michael Weiss of the CWR, at BBC News. “When we get a drone on these animals, we will see at least a pair of whales do this.”

This could be a marine version of what is known as allogrooming in primates. Many monkeys are preparing other members of their groups – spending hours picking fur, cleaning and elimination of parasites.

The researchers nicknamed this behavior as “Allokelping”.

Physical contact in animals, said Professor Croft, “is really important to establish and maintain social relations.

“And these killers are incredibly social animals,” he added.

Scientists have used drones for almost a decade to study these marine mammals.

This aerial vision gave them new information on underwater behavior – including how and with whom animals socialize.

“What is incredible with this discovery is that – with a high quality video – we could see that many of this physical contact [between these large whales] Performs using this relatively small piece of Varech. “”

There was a certain indication that “more peel” whales “were more likely to engage in massages. “It points to the idea that they” scratch a itch “- that he has a skin health function,” said Professor Croft.

It is not clear if this type of grooming behavior is unique to residents of the South or if it is more widespread among other whale populations – and even other species.

But Dr. Weiss said that the discovery – that whales were manufacturing tools, “and that these objects were used in an ever -reported way in marine mammals, was incredibly exciting”.

The study of this population of threatened fertiles, who lives in coastal waters between Vancouver and Seattle, was launched by Dr. Ken Balcomb more than 50 years ago.

Initially, he wanted to examine threats to their survival, especially since the population was targeted for capture and sale in certain marine parks.

In addition to gathering the status of protection of killers of killers of residents of the South, the years of work and observations which followed revealed an overview of the life of the killers-tutors who could not have proved only during the decades of study. Studies have revealed, for example, the vital role of the grandmothers of killer whales and how much women sacrifice to support their sons.

Dr. Weiss said that the new discovery stressed “yet another way in which the society and the culture of these whales are unique and the importance of recovering the population of southern residents”.