Humpback whales in western Canada are demonstrating a remarkable ability to adapt and survive by rapidly spreading a sophisticated hunting technique – bubble-net feeding – through their social groups. This behavior, where whales cooperatively trap fish with walls of bubbles before surging upwards to feed, isn’t just instinct; it’s learned and shared within whale communities, proving the power of cultural transmission in the animal kingdom.
The Spread of a Complex Skill
Bubble-net feeding has been observed for decades among Alaskan humpbacks, but researchers recently witnessed its explosive adoption in the northeastern Pacific population off Canada. Establishing whether this was independent discovery or social learning was key, and a new study confirms the latter.
Researchers at the University of St Andrews tracked 526 individual whales in British Columbia’s Kitimat Fjord System from 2004 to 2023, using unique tail fluke markings to identify each animal. The data revealed that over 90% of bubble-net feeding events were cooperative, indicating whales aren’t just stumbling into this behavior; they’re working together.
Driven by Environmental Stress
The surge in bubble-net feeding took off after 2014, coinciding with a major marine heatwave that drastically reduced prey availability. This environmental pressure likely accelerated the spread of the technique because whales that adapted were better positioned to secure food.
“With the heatwave, as prey availability went down, a whale’s ability to change feeding behavior would help it maintain its daily calorie intake,” says Éadin O’Mahony, one of the study’s authors.
The research clearly shows whales adopted the technique when regularly associating with others already using it, suggesting knowledge spreads through stable social networks and influential individuals. It’s not just about whether whales can learn, but how they learn from each other.
Why This Matters
This isn’t merely a fascinating behavioral quirk; it’s a sign of resilience. Humpback whales’ cultural flexibility may be critical for surviving ongoing environmental changes.
As Ted Cheeseman, co-founder of the citizen science platform Happywhale, points out, conservation efforts must consider not just population numbers, but also the health of the social behaviors that make a population thrive.
The study underscores that protecting whale populations means safeguarding their ability to learn, adapt, and pass on vital survival skills through generations.
