Scientists captured the first detailed footage of a sperm whale birth and found it wasn't just a family affair — whales from another pod came to help. This is a behavior typically seen in humans but is rare for other animals, suggesting that sperm whales might be more intelligent than we thought.
Posted by ChallengeAdept8759@reddit | whales | View on Reddit | 18 comments
Medusaink3@reddit
They are sentient and I believe a lot of humans understand this to be true, whether science supports it or not. There is something special about whales...
ceta_girl@reddit
Observational science supports cetacean sentience is the thing.
We know, for example, that humpbacks intentionally save smaller creatures from predating orcas and tiger sharks.
Behavioral scientists can argue all they want how that whale wasn't being incredibly intentional about saving Nan Hauser from that tiger shark, but having observed that behavior, it was clear he intentionally saved her.
The scientific community seems to me, to run on the same anthropocentric perspective the rest of our society runs on - that we are the only hyperintelligent species on earth, we are the only ones capable of sophisticated intellectual and emotional processing, and the only ones deserving of inherent rights.
-Hefi-@reddit
Whales were land animals that told evolution to get fucked sideways and went BACK into the ocean. The other land animas told those early whales, “You’ll never make it, there’s all kinds of predators in there - it’s why we moved on land. Remember?” But the whales were like, “Nah. I’ll just get huge. Like really huge.” And.. It worked!!! Cetaceans, my dude. They are the coolest. Things that whales don’t give a fuck about (in order): evolution, land animal opinions, predators (mostly).
goddamwarrior@reddit
We have no idea how intelligent.
rentedlife@reddit
Why do people think animals aren’t intelligent? The more we learn from them the better off we may be. We need to Stop killing them!!
JazzyJockJeffcoat@reddit
This is... amazing. It's so easy to get detached from the natural world and the other forms of intelligence that inhabit it. Appreciate the share. I gotta find some video of this.
Just like me fr
arieltalking@reddit
lmao do we think allan is the dad
captainfalcon200523@reddit
Either uncle or future uncle in my book
Damnitwasagoodday@reddit
Don’t include me in that “we thought”. I think whales are more intelligent than humans!
NSASpyVan@reddit
Allan really had a wrench thrown in his plans to help with the calf birth
erossthescienceboss@reddit
Right?? Than WHO thought? Certainly not me.
disiskeviv@reddit
WHO is useless these days. We all have seen the covid situation.
TheDucksAreComingoOo@reddit
Processing img 1bpighj5rgrg1...
Material_Prize_6157@reddit
We have no reason to doubt anything when it comes to cetacean intelligence. Especially the one species of its genus who managed to outlive every other despite our best efforts at making them extinct.
xbhaskarx@reddit
I had no idea pilot whales preyed on smaller sperm whales…
Pelosi-Hairdryer@reddit
"Sperm whales might be more intelligent than we thought."
They were the whales that told the other whales to go swim against the wind so that the sailing whaling ships would be stuck and unable to keep up. The fact that they told their whole community shows they definitely smart. Also a while back, the older generation of whales when seeing people would protect their kids and swim away from the humans. Only recently that whales are approaching humans just like the grey whales are now coming up to people to let them clean them up when in 1980's they were one of the hard whales to watch.
Frosty_Night_9939@reddit
Well, they do have the largest brain on the planet
pPattyPup@reddit
I am filled with awe.