STRANGE UNDERWATER MESSAGES: Scientists Discover Whales May Be Trying to Talk to Humans

Scientists have discovered that massive humpback whales are deliberately creating mysterious smoke ring-like bubbles and aiming them directly at humans — a never-before-seen behavior that researchers believe may be the ocean giants’ attempt to communicate with our species.

Mysterious Circles Rising from the Deep

Deep beneath the ocean’s surface, something unusual has been happening. Scientists have discovered that massive humpback whales are creating mysterious smoke ring-like bubbles and sending them directly toward humans. These underwater messages might be the whales’ way of saying hello.

The discovery came from researchers at the SETI Institute, a group that searches for signs of life beyond Earth. They found that these giant sea creatures are deliberately blowing large bubble rings when boats and swimmers come near. The bubbles rise to the ocean surface like ghostly circles, measuring six to ten feet across.

The First Documented Cases of Whale-to-Human Communication

Dr. Fred Sharpe from the University of California-Davis explained that the whales appear to be trying to get human attention. The animals blow these rings from their blowholes and aim them straight at people in the water or on boats. It’s the first time scientists have seen whales make these special bubbles while interacting with humans in the wild.

Between 2019 and 2023, researchers documented twelve separate cases involving eleven different humpback whales. Witnesses spotted thirty-nine bubble rings from various locations including whale-watching boats, research vessels, private ships, and even airplanes flying overhead.

The whales showed no signs of fear or anger during these encounters. Instead, they approached boats and swimmers calmly, often circling around them or poking their massive heads above water to watch. After releasing the bubble rings, the whales would linger nearby, almost as if waiting for the humans to respond to their underwater greeting.

A Completely New Behavior

Scientists had seen humpback whales create bubble rings before, but only in two specific situations. Males would make trails of bubbles to attract females during mating season. The whales also used bubbles while hunting, creating circular nets of air to trap small fish and krill for feeding.

This new behavior is completely different. The whales aren’t hunting or looking for mates when they create these human-directed bubble rings. Instead, they seem curious about the people they encounter and want to interact with them.

Connection to the Search for Alien Life

The SETI team believes this discovery could help them understand how intelligent beings might try to communicate across vast distances. If whales are actively seeking contact with humans, then alien civilizations might also be trying to reach out to Earth in ways scientists haven’t recognized yet.

Dr. Laurance Doyle from the SETI Institute noted that the whales’ curious behavior supports the idea that intelligent life forms naturally want to communicate with other species. This assumption is important for scientists searching for extraterrestrial signals in space.

Previous Whale Communication Experiments

The WhaleSETI team has been studying humpback whales as models for non-human intelligence. In 2023, they conducted a twenty-minute conversation with a whale named Twain in Alaska. They played whale calls through underwater speakers, and Twain responded with similar sounds, matching the timing like a back-and-forth discussion.

These whale encounters are helping researchers refine their methods for detecting alien communications. If creatures in Earth’s oceans are actively trying to talk to humans, it suggests that beings on distant worlds might also attempt contact through deliberate signals.

Signs of Intelligence Behind the Bubbles

The bubble rings might represent a form of interspecies communication that scientists are only beginning to understand. The whales seem to choose when and where to create these messages, suggesting intelligence behind the behavior rather than random activity.

Each bubble ring episode showed whales engaging in playful actions alongside the bubble creation. They would splash their tails, spray water from their blowholes, and swim in patterns around boats and swimmers. The combination of behaviors indicated relaxed, friendly animals rather than stressed or threatened ones.

Scientists are now studying whether these bubble communications follow any patterns or rules. They want to know if different whales use similar bubble techniques or if each animal has its own way of reaching out to humans.

Implications for Understanding Alien Intelligence

The research connects to Drake’s Equation, a mathematical formula that estimates how many alien civilizations might exist in our galaxy. The equation considers various factors that could influence whether intelligent life develops the ability to communicate across space.

If curiosity and the desire to communicate with other species are common traits among intelligent beings, this could affect the numbers in Drake’s Equation. The whale discoveries suggest that the drive to make contact might be a natural part of advanced intelligence, whether on Earth or other worlds.

Ongoing Research and Unanswered Questions

The SETI Institute continues to monitor whale behavior and document new cases of bubble ring communication. Each encounter provides more data about how intelligent non-human creatures might attempt to bridge the communication gap between species.

These underwater messages represent something unprecedented in marine biology. The whales appear to recognize humans as different from other sea life and are making specific efforts to interact with them. The bubble rings serve as a visible, deliberate signal that rises to the surface where humans can easily observe it.

Scientists emphasize that this behavior has likely been happening for years without proper documentation. Only recently have researchers begun systematically studying and recording these whale-to-human communication attempts.

The discovery opens new questions about animal intelligence and interspecies communication. If whales are actively trying to talk to humans through bubble messages, other marine animals might also be attempting forms of contact that science hasn’t recognized yet.

STORY SOURCE: Daily Mail UK
COVER PHOTO: New England Aquarium

NOTE: Some of this content may have been created with assistance from AI tools, but it has been reviewed, edited, narrated, produced, and approved by Darren Marlar, creator and host of Weird Darkness — who, despite popular conspiracy theories, is not an AI voice. (AI Policy)