But Teach a Whale to Fish...
And not only does this behavior show learning and planning, but it was copied by other killer whales in the same enclosure. Just how smart are these 'minds in the waters?'
"One day I noticed one of the young whales appeared to have come up with a procedure for luring gulls down to the pool," the professor said. "I found it interesting so I noted it in my log."First, the young whale spit regurgitated fish onto the surface of the water, then sank below the water and waited.
If a hungry gull landed on the water, the whale would surge up to the surface, sometimes catching a free meal of his own. link
Comments
I'm about to actually surface down here. What a rough landing! It felt like I did a nose dive on dry land and skidded for about five days. As late as this morning I wasn't at all sure I was in survival mode. Whew...But I've started reading my blogroll, so things must be looking up. Thanks for the welcome home.
Posted by: trish | September 17, 2005 4:10 PM
fascinating link, thanks for sharing. I've always been fascinated by whales and it's my secret wish to someday touch a gray whale while on their wintering grounds in Baja.
I'll never forget one particular visit to Sea World years ago, where I noticed a large tank that held just one killer whale. I watched as the poor creature banged it's head against the enclosure wall, over and over again. It had no companions, nothing to hold it's interest, and just a small bit of water to swim in.. it must have been bored out of it's mind- and they obviously have great minds.
Posted by: Cindy | September 22, 2005 11:18 PM