The research stems from over six hours of meticulously gathered underwater acoustic data combined with high-resolution aerial drone footage captured in the pristine waters off Dominica on July 8, 2023. This site has been the focus of more than two decades of continuous, intensive fieldwork by researchers dedicated to unraveling the complex social structures of sperm whale families. Their persistence and long-term engagement with these cetaceans have yielded an extraordinary glimpse into one of the most intimate and vulnerable moments in a whale’s life cycle: birth.

At the heart of this study lies the intricate choreography of a socially complex sperm whale unit, spanning multiple generations of females across two unrelated matrilines. These females—including grandmothers, mothers, daughters, and sisters—were observed engaging in coordinated behaviors that actively supported the laboring female and her newborn calf. Movements such as synchronized lifting and physical support exemplify a level of cooperative caregiving previously undocumented in marine mammals at this scale and resolution. Such social cooperation during birth not only reinforces the tight-knit bonds within these large sperm whale societies but also suggests a foundational mechanism for trust and reciprocal altruism among unrelated individuals.

The rarity of observing wild cetacean births cannot be overstated, with such events documented in less than 10% of all cetacean species. This positions Project CETI’s detailed documentation as both exceptional and vital to understanding social evolution within marine mammals. The Science article entitled Cooperation by non-kin during birth underpins sperm whale social complexity employs a sophisticated blend of technologies, including advanced drone imaging, cutting-edge computer vision algorithms, and multiscale network analyses. These tools were integrated within custom-built software platforms specifically engineered to quantify and analyze complex caregiving behaviors across kinship boundaries, corroborated by extensive longitudinal behavioral datasets. The findings conclusively demonstrate that not only related females but also unrelated individuals from distinct matrilines participate equally in birth assistance, rotating caregiving roles and directly attending the newborn calf.

Complementing these behavioral observations, the accompanying Scientific Reports article titled Description of a collaborative sperm whale birth and shifts in coda vocal styles during key events delves into the acoustic dimension of the birth process. Detailed spectrographic analyses of the audio recordings reveal nuanced shifts in sperm whale vocalizations coinciding with critical phases of labor and neonatal adjustment. Remarkably, these calls exhibit vowel-like acoustic structures hitherto unseen in cetacean communication, augmenting Project CETI’s broader efforts to decode the linguistic complexity embedded within sperm whale codas. Such vocal modulations likely serve as communicative signals to coordinate group action and reinforce social bonds during this vulnerable time.

These discoveries have profound implications for evolutionary biology, suggesting that the roots of cooperative caregiving during birth extend deep into mammalian history. Phylogenetic reconstructions imply that the observed behavior of collective newborn lifting may trace back over 36 million years to the most recent common ancestor of toothed whales. This ancient trait highlights the role of birth assistance as a selective force shaping social complexity and cognitive evolution within cetaceans. By fostering cooperation among unrelated individuals, these behaviors help establish enduring social networks that fortify group cohesion and collective survival strategies in the expansive and dynamic oceanic environment.

The study’s lead scientist, Dr. David Gruber, National Geographic Explorer and Project CETI founder, emphasizes that these findings redefine long-held assumptions about whale society. The observed social care manifests as remarkably coordinated and intentional acts during a critical life event, shedding light on sophisticated altruistic behavior far beyond simple kin-based frameworks. Close observation of the matrilineal family unit, which included the mother known as Rounder from Unit A, her mother Lady Oracle, and Rounder’s daughter Accra, revealed multigenerational interaction underscoring the social depth within these whale clans.

Highlighting the significance of longitudinal inquiry, Dr. Diana Reiss of Hunter College underscores the importance of having built profound trust with the whales over many years. This unique rapport enabled intimate observation rarely possible in wild cetaceans, facilitating detailed study without disturbing normal social dynamics. This closeness between researchers and their subjects is crucial in uncovering subtle, context-dependent behaviors such as birth assistance that otherwise remain elusive.

Shane Gero, the Biology Lead for Project CETI and founder of The Dominica Sperm Whale Project, remarks on how this encounter offers the most detailed behavioral window ever obtained on the birthing process in sperm whales. The multi-generational insights provide a rich social context, allowing researchers to chart individual contributions from grandmother to newborn, painting a vivid picture of collective maternal care and sibling involvement.

The integration of advanced machine learning and engineering teams on-site during the birth permitted real-time collection and analysis of intricate behavioral and acoustic datasets. This multidisciplinary effort combined marine biology, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and robotics, driving forward Project CETI’s ambitious mission to decode sperm whale communication and social interaction with unprecedented technical rigor.

Collectively, these findings situate sperm whale birth behaviors among the most complex observed in terrestrial mammals, including humans. They prompt compelling questions about the neural, cognitive, and communicative capacities required to enable such coordinated social care. The studies build upon prior discoveries including the identification of a phonetic-like alphabet and vowel/diphthong spectral patterns within sperm whale codas, expanding our understanding of the sophistication embedded within cetacean languages.

Project CETI, a nonprofit collaborative initiative partnered with the National Geographic Society, continues to lead this frontier by applying cutting-edge computational and acoustic technologies to unravel cetacean communication. By charting these complex social behaviors in wild sperm whales off the coast of Dominica and beyond, Project CETI not only reveals new dimensions of marine mammal intelligence but also advocates for enhanced conservation efforts aimed at protecting these magnificent, socially intricate giants of the deep.

The detailed documentation of cooperative birth assistance in sperm whales provides a compelling model that challenges anthropocentric views of social care and evolutionary progression. This research spotlights the rich behavioral repertoires that emerge in species exhibiting high degrees of sociality and cognitive complexity, reinforcing the interconnectedness of cooperative social evolution across both terrestrial and marine domains.

Subject of Research: Animals
Article Title: Cooperation by non-kin during birth underpins sperm whale social complexity; Description of a collaborative sperm whale birth and shifts in coda vocal styles during key events
News Publication Date: March 26, 2026
Web References: https://www.projectceti.org/news-research-insights#publications; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-47221-8; https://direct.mit.edu/opmi/article/doi/10.1162/OPMI.a.252/133906/Vowel-and-Diphthong-Like-Spectral-Patterns-in
Keywords: sperm whale, cooperative birth assistance, social behavior, cetacean communication, drone imaging, machine learning, vocalization analysis, evolutionary biology, multigenerational care, Project CETI, marine mammals, non-kin cooperation

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) have long fascinated scientists due to their complex acoustic behaviors and social structures. Although their use of bubble streams for prey manipulation and dominance displays is well known, the intentional creation of poloidal vortex bubble rings introduces an entirely new dimension to their behavioral repertoire. These doughnut-shaped vortex rings form stable, self-sustaining fluid structures underwater, which require precise control of the whales’ exhaled air and muscular coordination to generate. The researchers recorded a dozen whales across different populations globally, documenting 39 individual bubble rings produced in 12 independent episodes, highlighting the consistency and reproducibility of this behavior in varied contexts.

Unlike previously studied bubble behaviors associated with feeding or competitive displays, these bubble rings appeared predominantly during relaxed, inquisitive encounters with human swimmers and boats. This suggests that whales intentionally produce these structures as social signals, possibly to initiate play or establish a communicative link with humans. Given the energetic cost and the complexity of producing such vortex rings underwater, their appearance during friendly interspecies interactions strongly supports the hypothesis that humpbacks use these as extensions of their communicative and cognitive capabilities, expanding beyond traditional acoustic signals.

The physical formation of bubble rings in a marine environment involves the generation of a toroidal vortex. This occurs when a burst of air is expelled with a precise velocity and direction, forming a spinning ring of bubbles trapped within a self-reinforcing vortex tube. The stability of these vortex rings depends on fluid dynamic principles, including Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities and the interaction between water viscosity and the momentum imparted by the whale’s blow. The ability of humpback whales to consistently create these structures suggests an advanced neuromuscular control of their respiratory tracts and blowholes, supporting the idea of purposeful, learned behavior rather than mere byproduct of exhalation.

The research team, led by SETI scientist Dr. Laurance Doyle and UC Davis Affiliate Dr. Fred Sharpe, emphasizes how these findings align with evolving perspectives on non-human intelligence. The production of such bubbles is likened to a “candidate signal” – an intentional, observable event aimed at eliciting a response or communicating intent. This aligns with the broader goals of WhaleSETI, a collaborative research initiative probing non-terrestrial but intelligent communicative systems on Earth to refine methods for detecting extraterrestrial intelligence. Such biological analogs provide novel filters for distinguishing intentional signals from noise in cosmic data.

Further insights from co-lead researcher Jodi Frediani, a marine wildlife photographer and UC Davis Affiliate, reveal that many of the whales documented had a history of approaching humans voluntarily during these playful bubble ring episodes. This voluntary approach underscores a dimension of cross-species social curiosity and an experimental dialogue between whales and humans that transcends ecological and communicative boundaries. The use of bubbles as tools for such engagement may represent an evolutionary convergence of communication modalities that share analogies with human social behaviors.

The study, published in the May 2025 issue of Marine Mammal Science, meticulously analyzes the physical properties and behavioral contexts of these poloidal vortex bubble rings. It integrates underwater videography, acoustic monitoring, and computational fluid dynamics to characterize the formation, stability, and movement of the bubble rings alongside contextual behavioral observations. The multi-disciplinary methodology employed highlights how advances in image processing and AI aid in deciphering complex animal communication systems, paving the way for a new field intersecting marine biology, ethology, and cognitive science.

The implications of this research are profound. By revealing a sophisticated, intentional manipulation of physical mediums for communication in an aquatic environment, it challenges long-held views about the limits of animal intelligence and the forms non-verbal communication can take. Additionally, it opens compelling questions about the evolutionary pathways that may have led cetaceans to develop such behaviors and how these might inform our own search for intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. This underwater spectacle of bubble artistry enriches the narrative of animal minds and underlines the importance of protecting these sentient beings and their habitats.

Previous work by the team includes a groundbreaking paper published in PeerJ, where they tested interactive bioacoustic playback methods as tools for studying nonhuman intelligence, specifically “conversing” with humpback whales in Alaska. These efforts contextualize the current findings within a broader framework of decoding multidimensional communication that extends beyond sound. Such interdisciplinary approaches integrate biology, robotics, acoustic science, and artificial intelligence to explore and interpret animal cognition at a sophistication level comparable to early human communication studies.

Another remarkable element of this discovery is its relevance to the SETI Institute’s mission. The assumption in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence that alien civilizations would use intentional signals to communicate is supported here by an Earth-based example of independent evolution of curious, communicative behavior in a non-human species. Humpback whales’ bubble rings may be seen as an analog to the “signals” humanity seeks in the cosmos, suggesting that seeking non-verbal, physical, and playful signals could be an important dimension in extraterrestrial signal detection strategies.

Complementing this scientific narrative are the contributions from co-authors specializing in cetacean anatomy, behavior, multidimensional animal intelligence, and data science. Their collaboration exemplifies how modern science increasingly relies on cross-disciplinary expertise to unpack complex biological phenomena. Dr. Joy Reidenberg’s anatomical insights help elucidate the physical capabilities whales possess for producing such bubbles, while Dr. Brenda McCowan’s work on AI applications enables analysis of large behavioral datasets for meaningful communication patterns that humans alone might overlook.

The team duly acknowledges support from the Templeton Foundation’s Diverse Intelligences Program, underlining the broader societal and philosophical interest in expanding what is recognized as intelligence and communication. By documenting these poloidal vortex bubble rings, the researchers not only advance scientific knowledge but also invite a cultural shift in how humans perceive and relate to marine life. Playful, intentional acts of this nature humanize cetaceans as intelligent partners in a shared biosphere — a perspective crucial for conservation and ethical stewardship.

As this fascinating research unfolds, it promises to inspire novel outreach and educational efforts, fostering public fascination with cetacean intelligence and its implications for science and beyond. It also raises important new avenues for future research, such as exploring the neurological mechanisms enabling such precise control, mapping the social contexts that promote bubble ring production, and investigating parallels in other marine species. This discovery ultimately enriches the tapestry of animal cognition studies and reinforces the interconnectedness of life on Earth with the broader cosmic quest for communication and understanding.

Subject of Research: Humpback whale bubble ring production and non-verbal communication behaviors in relation to non-human intelligence studies.

Article Title: Humpback Whales Blow Poloidal Vortex Bubble Rings

News Publication Date: June 5, 2025

Web References:

• Humpback Whales Blow Poloidal Vortex Bubble Rings
• Interactive bioacoustics playback as a tool for detecting and exploring nonhuman intelligence: “conversing” with an Alaskan humpback whale
• WhaleSETI Research

References:
Karen Pryor, 1990, on patterns of bubble production as cetacean communication mode.

Image Credits: © Dan Knaub, The Video Company

Keywords: Multiple intelligences, Nonverbal communication, Cetaceans, Whales