Why humpback whales blow bubble rings at people

HostI was watching a clip the other day of a group of swimmers out in the ocean. Out of nowhere, this massive humpback whale swims up, stops right in front of them, and blows a perfect, shimmering ring of air that floats right to the surface. It looked like something out of a movie, but it keeps happening more and more.

HostHow does a fifty-ton animal even make a tiny, perfect air ring, and why are they doing it for us?

GuestHmm, it's one of the most beautiful things you can see in the water. For a long time, we mostly thought about whales blowing bubbles as a way to hunt. They make these big walls of bubbles to trap fish. But what we're seeing now is different. These aren't messy clouds of air. They're tight, spinning circles. To make them, the whale has to be very still. They usually blow a big burst of air out of their mouth, not their blowhole. Then they use their tongue or a quick flip of their head to give that air a spin. That spin is what keeps the ring together as it rises. It's a very gentle move for such a huge creature.

HostBut are we sure it's on purpose? I mean, I can blow a bubble under a pool and sometimes it looks like a ring just by luck. Could it just be a big air burp that happens to look cool because we want it to?

GuestPeople used to think that, but the data says otherwise. We have seen whales make a ring, look at it, and then swim through the middle of it. Or they'll wait for a person to look at them before they do it. They have even been seen making one ring and then blowing a second one right through the center of the first. That takes a lot of focus and control. It's not an accident. They're playing with the water and the air, almost like a kid blowing smoke rings. It's a way for them to test their own skill.

HostBut we have been watching whales for a long time. If they could always do this, why are we only seeing this boom of bubble rings now? It feels like it just started popping up everywhere in the last year or two.

GuestWell, that's the most exciting part for those of us who study them. It seems to be a fad. Whales are very social, and they learn from each other. Think of it like a dance move or a joke that goes viral. One whale figured out how to do it and realized it was fun, or maybe it saw how people reacted. Then, other whales in the group saw it and copied it. We have tracked this kind of thing before with how they hunt or the songs they sing. A new song will start in one part of the ocean and then spread across the whole sea as the whales meet up and share it. This bubble ring thing is spreading the same way. It's whale culture in action.

HostI don't know, it feels a bit like we're turning them into circus acts. Are we sure we aren't just bothering them? Maybe they're blowing these rings to tell us to get out of their way or to keep us back.

GuestThat's a fair thing to worry about. We always have to be careful about not getting too close. But the way they act during these moments doesn't look like fear or anger. When a whale is mad, it thrashes its tail or makes loud, heavy slaps on the water. These ring-blowing moments are very quiet and slow. The whales often turn on their sides to look at the people with one eye. It seems to be a form of curious play. We have even seen young whales practicing it on their own when no one is around. They're finding out what their bodies can do, and for some reason, they have picked this way to spend their time with us.

HostIt's wild to think about a whale having a hobby. If it really is a fad, does that mean they might just stop doing it next year because they got bored?

GuestIt's very likely. These trends come and go. A few years ago, there was a group of whales that started wearing dead fish on their heads like hats. It sounds silly, but it spread through the whole pod. Everyone was doing it for a summer, and then they just stopped. They moved on to the next thing. These bubble rings might be the same. Right now, it's the cool new thing to do when you meet a human, but in five years, they might have moved on to something else we can't even imagine yet. It shows us that their minds are always working and always looking for new ways to spend their days.

HostSo we're basically watching a bunch of giants share the latest trend.

GuestThese whales are choosing to spend their free time playing with us, using air and water to make something that only lasts for a few seconds.

HostThose shifting circles of air remind us that there's a whole world of thought and play under the waves that we're only just beginning to see.