For a long time, we have believed that developing new skills through learning from peers was a uniquely human characteristic. Recently, however, marine biologists have made a very interesting discovery about the behavior of humpback whales off the coast of Maine. For 27 years teams have been observing the hunting techniques of the whales. Since then, a new trend has become more and more popular. Believed to have originated from one resourceful whale and spread throughout the population, this technique is something the biologists have only recently begun to see. This method involves the whale slapping the surface of the water four times with his tail, and proceeding to dive underneath, feeding off the schools of sand lance fish that have been organized by the tail-pounds. After performing statistical analysis, the biologists have concluded that the humpback whales were a million times more likely to have learned this technique from their peers, rather than each developing it on their own. This discovery will hopefully help biologists discover other instances of collective animal-teaching like this.
NOS Themes
- Science is collaborative
- Science is based off evidence
- Role of motivation and curiosity
This an interesting ability in animals. Surely, the method of learning from others will help a specie substantially, and play a role in its evolution over time. I wonder what other animals possess this intellectual ability? I'm sure most primates do other than only humans.
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