Skip to content

Nature

Learning hunting techniques, if you are a humpback whale

by Dave Armstrong 25 Apr 2013
Learning hunting techniques, if you are a humpback whale

Now that's a tail and a half! The lob-tail technique is now used by 40% of the local humpback population in the Gulf of Maine. They combine it with bubble nets to catch sand-lance; Humpback whale image; Credit: © Shutterstock

When the herring ran out, fisher folk had to find new techniques and new species to eat instead. The same fate was applied when the herring ran out for the humpback whales in the NW Atlantic. The University of St. Andrews research team led by Luke Rendell, and others from the Whale Center of New England and Anglia Ruskin University (Cambridge) searched for the evidence of how a new fishing culture was spread by the Megaptera novaeangliae.

The journal Science publish their findings today, indicating that the new culturally-transmitted technique of lob-tail feeding involved hunting the numerous sand lance in the Gulf of Maine, just as they learn their famed songs from each other. The sand lance is also known elsewhere as the sand eel, Ammodytes sp. From Anglia Ruskin, Will Hoppitt's quote on the learning technique was, "We can learn more about the forces that drive the evolution of culture by looking outside our own ancestral lineage and studying the occurrence of similar attributes in groups that have evolved in a radically different environment to ours, like the cetaceans."

One of the well-known hunting techniques used by humpbacks with herring was the bubble net, which is seen wherever they hunt. Now they hit the sea surface with their giant tails and then dive to make the bubble net. In 1980 the lob-tail technique was observed as a solution for the humpbacks who had run short of their ancient herring prey.

In the Stellwagen Bank where sand lance spawn, the humpbacks have been using this hunting method ever since. With a 30-year database of social networking among humpbacks compiled by Mason Weinrich, the spread of the lob-tail hunting could be calculated. The research team can now say that they are starting to find out how we and other intelligent mammals have evolved the capabilities to transmit our cultures.


Trending Eco-Friendly Clothing

Prev Post
Next Post

Eco-Friendly Shop

Women's Clothing

Eco-Friendly Clothing for Women Our online shop offers a wide range of sustainable women’s clothing products, including t-shirts, hoodies, vests, sweaters, shorts, and...
Shop Now

Men's Clothing

Eco-Friendly Clothing for Men Our online shop offers a wide range of sustainable men’s clothing products, including t-shirts, hoodies, vests, sweaters, shorts, and...
Shop Now

Kids Clothing

Eco-Friendly Clothes for Kids Our online shop offers a wide range of sustainable kids clothing products, including t-shirts, hoodies and jumpers. Our garments...
Shop Now
Someone recently bought a
[time] ago, from [location]

Thanks for subscribing!

This email has been registered!

Shop the look

Choose Options

Earth Times
Sign up for exclusive updates, new arrivals & insider only discounts

Recently Viewed

Edit Option
Back In Stock Notification
this is just a warning
Login
Shopping Cart
0 items

Before you leave...

Take 20% off your first order

20% off

Enter the code below at checkout to get 20% off your first order

CODESALE20

Continue Shopping