Humpback whales are renowned for their intricate bubble patterns, ranging from intense, forceful bursts during mating displays to the creation of bubble-net barriers that corral their prey. This phenomenon not only serves a crucial biological function but also captivates tourists worldwide.

A recent publication in Marine Mammal Science delves into the unusual behavior of humpbacks (Megaptera novaeangliae) forming distinct, doughnut-shaped vortex bubbles, resembling an underwater smoke ring in motion.

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Researchers from the University of California, Davis, and their peers, including those from the SETI Institute—known for its search for extraterrestrial life but also interested in Earth’s non-human intelligences—were examining general bubble activities of whales when they stumbled upon a fascinating video. Captured by videographer Dan Knaub in 1988, the video shows a humpback named “Thorn” producing 19 bubble structures, 11 of which are rings, within a span of ten minutes.

“We were absolutely amazed—like, ‘What is actually happening here?’” remarked Fred Sharpe, a whale biologist at U.C. Davis. “For a group that aids astrobiologists in interpreting odd signals from deep space, this discovery fits perfectly into our model of study. It’s utterly strange.”

Sharpe and his team soon unearthed more instances on social media and through communications with other researchers. Jodi Frediani, a wildlife photographer also affiliated with U.C. Davis, even recognized a bubble ring in a photo shown by a friend during a presentation on humpback whales. “I suddenly exclaimed, ‘Look, there’s a bubble ring!’” she recalls.

Throughout their study, the team documented 12 events across the North and South Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans where individual humpbacks were observed creating bubble rings. In total, 39 rings were recorded. “It’s not a significant number in the grand scheme of things, but it’s sufficient and observed across multiple oceans,” noted Frediani.

“This study is incredibly engaging,” comments Susan E. Parks, a biologist at Syracuse University who specializes in bubble-net feeding among humpbacks and was not involved in the study. “It reads like a mystery, piecing together sparse information about a behavior that’s rarely seen.” Parks admits she has not observed any bubble rings herself and muses, “Perhaps I’ve seen them before without realizing what they were.”

Despite numerous documented instances, Sharpe is still puzzled about the purpose of these rings. “It feels akin to what we might experience when we first contact extraterrestrials,” he suggests.

The team hypothesizes that the behavior might be playful. Some whales were observed blowing a bubble ring and then swimming through it or performing a spy hop directly through it. In a spy hop, a whale vertically pokes its head above the water surface, passing through the bubble ring. Alternatively, the behavior might indicate curiosity towards humans, as nine of the twelve documented events occurred when whales approached human observers before producing rings.

“We need help from the entire human brain trust to decode this. It’s almost as if the whales’ blowholes are mouths, and the bubbles they emit are symbols, rather than sounds.” —Fred Sharpe University of California, Davis

Sharpe doesn’t dismiss the possibility that whales might be attempting to communicate with humans, suggesting that the presence of humans seems to stimulate the whales to blow bubbles, and that they improve with practice. “This could be an atypical signal meant for humans, a way whales try to reach out to us using their own language,” he speculates.

Parks agrees that it’s conceivable the animals are performing for humans, but she cautions that the small sample size makes definitive conclusions premature. “We’d need many more observations to be sure,” she states. Although most observations involve human presence, she notes, “there were also two sightings from planes, confirming that whales do produce them when humans aren’t around as well.”

As knowledge of these bubble rings spreads among researchers, Parks anticipates that reported sightings will likely increase. With more data, Sharpe and his colleagues aim to uncover the purpose of these air-filled doughnuts and determine if they might carry messages. “We need the whole human brain trust to help decipher this,” Sharpe emphasizes. “It’s similar to receiving a signal from extraterrestrials—if their communication came in the form of bubbles instead of sounds.”

Sharpe hopes that the footage from their study will inspire people to feel a deeper connection with whales and motivate them to protect these majestic creatures from threats like ship strikes, entanglement, and pollution. He also aims to communicate back to the whales in some way, to let them know their ‘messages’ have been received. Engaging in this deciphering process, he suggests, places them in a similar position to those attempting to communicate with aliens after receiving a cryptic message.