Killer Whales Have 'Close Friendships' Too, Their Social Lives Shown in Drone Footage

Drone footage has recently captured the southern resident killer whales' social lives like never before, and surprisingly, they were found to have friendships too, like humans.

According to ScienceAlert, tracking a single pod of more than 20 killer whales for 20 days, scientists observed a multifaceted web of relationships, which include close friendships.

The said report specified, resident killer whales living their entire lives in the same pod they were born in, although that does not mean they need to "like everyone around them equally." Throughout their lives, these whales' relationships with others in their group seep to retreat and flow.

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Drone Footage

In drone footage, researchers noticed whales exhibited a preference for the company of specific individuals, opting to surface with them and touch them more frequently compared to others.

These are indications of cooperation and social affiliation, implying a close bond. Frequently, close relationships are built between whales of the same age and sex.

Describing their study, age and sex influence social interactions, but not associations, within a killer whale pod, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the University of Exeter's Michael Weiss, the study's lead author said, their findings show that even within these tight-knit groups, whales opt to interact with specific people.

He added it is like when a mother is taking one to a party as a kid, the latter did not choose the party but he can still choose who to hang out with once he's there.

Whales' Socialization

Judging through physical contact between certain whales, the young female whales are said to be the life of the party. They appeared to play a vital role in the social network of the group, as explained in the National Library of Medicine.

A similar Phys.org report said that the study investigators are unsure what that particular role is, although they suggest, adult killer whales are spending more time hunting and less time socializing in order to keep their larger bodies.

Young whales, on the other hand, are nursed by their mothers and fed prey by others, freeing them up to play with their friends, specifically other young whales that are not busy scavenging.

According to the University of Exeter behavioral ecologist Darren Croft, they were amazed to see how much contact exists between whales, specifically how tangible they are.

Croft, as explained in the study, is captivated by the parallels he observed between whales and other animals like humans.

In a lot of species which include humans, added the behavioral ecologist, physical contact inclines to be a relaxing, stress-relieving activity that strengthens social connection.

Social Ties and Age

The researchers examined occasions as well, when whales surfaced together, as acting in agreement, is an indication of social ties in many species.

One of the most interesting parallels Croft and his team have noticed has something to do with age. The older the killer whales are, the less social they seemed to be in the drone footage.

This aligns with the other social mammals' behavior, who also incline to become less social as they age, which includes humans.

This seemingly resemblance between primate and killer whale social life history, the authors specified in their study, is specifically intriguing given the convergent reproductive life histories in both killer and humans.

Specifically, they wrote that the killer whales may actively build essential ties and social skills at a young age, like in other matrilineal societies.

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