Whales synchronized swimming: Chaos theory approach reveals long-distance relationship in seemingly random behavior of b

https://phys.org/news/2024-08-chaos-theory-approach-reveals-distance.html

Chaos theory approach reveals long-distance relationship in seemingly random behavior of bowhead whales

By Hokkaido University

Applying chaos theory to the movement of iconic arctic whales uncovered a 24-hour diving cycle and a long-range (~100 km) synchronization.

Bowhead whales are among the largest and longest-lived mammals in the world. They play a vital role in the marine ecosystems of the Arctic Ocean, yet relatively little is known about their foraging and diving behaviors.

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The research team also made the surprising discovery of two bowhead whales diving in synchrony over the course of a week at a time, even when they were around one hundred kilometers apart. The pair—one female and one of unknown sex—were sometimes as close as five kilometers and sometimes hundreds of kilometers apart, yet they would closely time their diving bouts for durations of up to a week, although to different depths.

The synchronization was observed when they were within acoustic range of each other, which can exceed 100 kilometers, although the researchers didn't record the whales' sounds to determine whether they were interacting, as it remains a technically challenging task.

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