US EditionOrcas Spotted Using Kelp as Grooming Tools
- On June 23, 2025, researchers led by Michael Weiss at the Center for Whale Research reported southern resident killer whales in the Salish Sea using kelp stalks as grooming tools.
- The discovery followed drone footage analysis over two weeks in 2024 revealing whales detaching, shaping, and rolling bull kelp stalks for mutual grooming, a behavior unseen in nearly 50 years of study.
- Researchers found whales of all ages and sexes engaged in this tool use, called allokelping, suggesting potential roles in social bonding and skin hygiene among the critically endangered population.
- Weiss expressed excitement upon discovering that the whales not only utilized tools but also created them, employing these items in a manner that had never been documented before among marine mammals.
- This first documented instance of marine mammals using tools highlights the complexity of orca culture and underscores the importance of recovering the endangered southern resident killer whale population.
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Researchers have discovered a unique behavior in the animal kingdom. They have observed orcas in the Salish Sea using algae to groom their skin and forge social bonds, the first documented case of tool making in a whale.
Orcas have been observed using algae as grooming tools, a novel behavior revealed in a study published this Monday
·France
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