Humpback whales have joined an exclusive list of animals that not only use but also manufacture their own tools, a new study conducted off the coast of Alaska has found.
Researchers have known that humpbacks create “bubble nets” to hunt. Now, they have found that the giant marine mammals don’t just use these unique nets but also manipulate them in a variety of ways to maximise their food intake.
“ Many animals use tools to help them find food but very few actually create or modify the tools themselves,” said Lars Bejder, an author of the study, published on Tuesday in the journal Royal Society Open Science. …