Killer whales spotted grooming each other with seaweed, scientists say
In what could be the first evidence of marine mammals making their own tools, the whales are said to have been seen breaking off bits of the algae to groom one another
Killer whales have been caught on video breaking off pieces of seaweed to rub and groom each other, scientists announced on Monday, in what they said is the first evidence of marine mammals making their own tools.
Humans are far from being the only members of the animal kingdom to master using tools. Chimpanzees fashion sticks to fish for termites, crows create hooked twigs to catch grubs and elephants swat flies with branches.
Tool-use in the world’s difficult-to-study oceans is rarer, however sea otters are known to smash open shellfish with rocks, while octopuses can make mobile homes out of coconut shells.
A study published in the journal Current Biology describes a new example of tool use by a critically endangered population of orcas.
Scientists have been monitoring the southern resident killer whales in the Salish Sea, between Canada’s British Columbia and the US state of Washington, for more than 50 years.
Rachel John, a Masters student at Exeter University in the UK, told a press conference that she first noticed “something kind of weird” going on while watching drone camera footage last year.