Sperm whales truly headbutt one another, as confirmed by groundbreaking drone footage. Researchers from the University of St Andrews have documented this behavior for the first time, capturing adult and sub-adult whales deliberately ramming heads in the waters near the Azores and Balearic islands.
Historical Accounts Come Alive
Accounts of sperm whales using their massive heads to strike date back to 19th-century whalers. The most notorious incident involved the Essex, a whaling ship reportedly sunk by a bull sperm whale’s double head-on attack off the Galapagos in 1820. This event inspired Herman Melville’s iconic novel Moby Dick.
First mate Owen Chase recounted the dramatic encounter: “I turned around and saw him about one hundred rods [approx. 500 m] directly ahead of us, coming down with twice his ordinary speed of around 24 knots, and it appeared with tenfold fury and vengeance in his aspect. The surf flew in all directions about him with the continual violent thrashing of his tail. His head about half out of the water, and in that way he came upon us, and again struck the ship.”
Drone Technology Reveals the Action
Between 2020 and 2022, scientists deployed drones to observe whale behavior near the surface. Contrary to expectations of seeing it among adult males, the footage revealed sub-adult whales engaging in intense headbutts.
Dr. Alec Burslem, lead author of the study, shared: “This unique overhead perspective for observing and documenting near-surface behavior is just one of the ways drone technology is transforming the study of wildlife biology. It’s exciting to think about what as-yet unseen behaviors we may soon uncover, as well how more headbutting observations may help us to shed light on the functions the behavior may serve.”
He added: “It was really exciting to observe this behavior, which we knew had been hypothesised for such a long time, but not yet documented and described systematically.” Burslem welcomes additional footage from observers worldwide.
Unraveling the Purpose
The exact reason for headbutting remains a mystery. Theories suggest it stems from subsurface physical contests among whales. However, evolutionary biologists note that using the head as a weapon seems risky, given its vital organs and structures.
Further drone observations promise deeper insights into this persistent behavior, advancing our understanding of sperm whale social dynamics.
