Sperm whales were teaching each other how to avoid harps after hunting them 200 years ago, according to a new study.
Published by the Royal Society on Wednesday, the research was based on new digital diaries from American whales, which recorded details of their voyages in the North Minch in the 19th century, such as the number of whales seen or the harp.
While they were in high demand for the whale, ivory, and blubber and nearly 80,000 ‘cruise days’ were recorded, only 2,405 whales were successful, a success rate of just 3 percent.
The study’s authors, cetacean researchers Professor Hal Whitehead and Dr Luke Rendell, as well as data scientist Dr Tim D Smith, found that the level of whale harp strike fell by 58 in less than two and a half years after they first started hunting in the area.
In Halifax, Canada, Professor Whitehead from Dalhousie University reported Owen Sun Sound Times.: “That was pretty amazing. I thought there might be a fall, but that ‘s not that big and not that fast.
“Usually, you expect it to grow as they discover stuff and become more successful. That’s usually how we take advantage of wildlife. We will be more efficient as we learn how to do it. “
The study concluded that sperm whales had learned how to kill them, shared this information with their pod, and modified their behavior accordingly, revealing “evolution cultural. “
The species lives with their offspring in pods or female-only groups, allowing them to form close ties and share suggestions to avoid predators.
The hunters recognized that the sperm whales had developed devices to clear them. Instead of creating defensive squares that would be used to exterminate their natural predators, the deadly whale, the sperm whales, realized that swimming against the wind would allow them to get over hunters’ vessels. wind power.
With the advent of steam power and grenade harpers in the last years of the 19th century, even the giant porpoise was severely killed.
“This was a cultural evolution, far too fast for a genetic evolution,” Whitehead said.
A whale animal has the largest brain of any animal on the planet and the researchers concluded that if they could change 200 years ago, they could withstand the challenges of today’s ocean.
This article was originally published by Business Insider.
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