Posted on 09/02/2005 1:07:09 PM PDT by siunevada
NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario (AP) - An enterprising young killer whale at Marineland has figured out how to use fish as bait to catch seagulls - and shared his strategy with his fellow whales.
Michael Noonan, a professor of animal behavior at Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y., made the discovery by accident while studying orca acoustics.
"One day I noticed one of the young whales appeared to have come up with a procedure for luring gulls down to the pool," the professor said. "I found it interesting so I noted it in my log."
First, the young whale spit regurgitated fish onto the surface of the water, then sank below the water and waited.
If a hungry gull landed on the water, the whale would surge up to the surface, sometimes catching a free meal of his own.
Noonan watched as the same whale set the same trap again and again.
Within a few months, the whale's younger half brother adopted the practice. Eventually the behavior spread and now five Marineland whales supplement their diet with fresh fowl, the scientist said.
"It looked liked one was watching while the other tried," Noonan said of the whale's initial behavior.
The capacity to come up with the gull-baiting strategy and then share the technique with others - known as cultural learning in the scientific world - was once believed to be one of those abilities that separated humans from other animals.
But biologists have since proven certain animals, including dolphins and chimps, do this.
"This is an example in which a new behavior spread through a population," Noonan said. "We had the opportunity to see a tradition form and spread in exactly the way that cultures do in humans."
He first shared his research earlier this month at the U.S. Animal Behavior Society Conference in Utah. Since then, he said, his phone hasn't stopped ringing.
Coming next:
"Hey, look! A hundred dollar bill floating just out of reach. Maybe if I really stretch...."
whale ping
You cost me a keyboard! but it was worth ever key.
Another animal smarter than a Liberal.
This whale is obviously not a Democratic whale. It he were he'd wait for the government to give him seagulls.
Cool. Regurgitation bump!
Karl Rove showed them how.
Now if we could only get welfare wastrels to watch someone go to work and cash a paycheck each friday.
Nothing is better than chomping on a thrashing seagull covered in fresh vomit. Don't knock it until you try it.
Yeah, I think Sharpton learned this from Jackson.
There's a great idea. What are the differences between Liberal and Conservative Orcas?
The only Democrats in this story are the fish and the gulls.
You almost cost me an expesive laptop with that one..ROFL..needed the laugh..:)
Yes, if this whale is inclined to gather his own food, I suspect human flesh is next.
Could be gulls teaching each other how to be suicidal.
Just what I was thinking; it must be a conservative whale. Heck, they all are, if everyone in the tank learned to do it.
Amazing creatures. Hope they don't think of using puppy dogs for bait.
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