A strange, newly observed humpback whale behavior has left scientists perplexed, according to a new research study.
The odd activity, which scientists have dubbed “gaping,” describes observations of humpback whales opening their mouths widely, for reasons which remain unclear.
This, according to a new paper co-authored by Dr. Vanessa Pirotta, a Macquarie University lecturer and scientist who specializes in the study of whales and their often unique behavior, which emphasizes the important work undertaken by avocational “citizen scientists” that helped bring this odd new humpback activity to light.
For their study, Pirotta and colleagues used imagery collected from social media to document rare instances of gaping in humpback whales, in which the massive creatures appeared to open their mouths widely without feeding.
Based on an analysis of 66 observations made by observers aboard boats during tours that allow guests to swim alongside whales, as well as drone imagery, the researchers found evidence of humpbacks displaying gaping behavior above and below the water.
In some circumstances, the displays included jaw “clapping” sounds, though it is unclear whether they are related to communication or to some other specific purpose.
One thing that seems clear is that the behavior isn’t related to feeding. Based on this, a few possible interpretations of the unique gaping displays include that they may indeed represent some form of communication—possibly a friendly or playful variety—or that they may be a simple form of jaw stretching.
Another interpretation is that they may be a natural jaw movement driven by gravity, which might occur during active humpback behaviors such as breaching or head movements.
“Scientists, governments, conservationists, and other stakeholders can use social media to help document humpback whale behavior efficiently through space and time,” the researchers note in their study.
“Sharing the results of studies such as this one can also be used to disseminate conservation messages, by connecting citizen scientists to an understanding of what they have documented- one of the key intentions of this paper,” they add.
“Given widespread use of social media and the increase in popularity of wildlife tourism, more unusual behaviors are likely to be seen and subsequently reported, helping inform scientists on the plasticity of behavior exhibited by cetaceans, and marine fauna more broadly,” Pirotta and her colleagues conclude.
The recent research paper, “Gaping in Humpback Whales, A Unique Behavior Documented Through Citizen Science,” appeared in the journal Animal Behavior and Cognition.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.