Northern bottlenose whales develop more intense social connections when they are sick or experiencing starvation, according to a new study. Olaf Meynecke stated, "We are seeing that when they are stressed, they do assist each other."
Hal Whitehead and his colleagues have monitored a specific group of these whales since the 1980s. This population resides over a deep submarine canyon located approximately a day and a half sail from Halifax.
The research team compiled a photographic database spanning 37 years to track the animals. Data showed that roughly 11 per cent of the whales were in poor physical condition at any given time.
Whales in poor health maintained a higher number of social partners than is typical for the species. Historical records from 1882 by David Gray documented thousands of northern bottlenose whales.
Gray noted that "The herd never leaves a wounded companion so long as it is alive." He further observed that "They come from every point of the compass towards the struck one in the most mysterious manner."
Sam Walmsley suggested that identifying how health and sociality relate across various mammals helps researchers understand the evolutionary aspects of these behaviours.
