Drone recordings from the Atlantic and the Balearic Islands show systematically for the first time how sperm whales headbutt each other. The new study thus provides a rare direct look at a behaviour that has been suspected in the specialist literature for decades. This is an interesting finding for the old "Moby Dick" myth. However, it is not proof of targeted attacks on ships.
What the new study shows
The head-butting behaviour of sperm whales is the subject of a technical paper in Marine Mammal Science described. A team led by whale researcher Alec Burslem documented sperm whales in the Balearic Sea and near the Azores using drone footage. The data was collected between 2020 and 2022.
According to the researchers and the accompanying University of St Andrews, this is the first systematic scientific description of this behaviour. It shows frontal and lateral blows in which sperm whales use their massive heads against other animals.
One thing is certain: sperm whales use their heads as a powerful tool when interacting with other whales. However, the specific function of this behaviour remains unclear.
Video: Ramming blow of a sperm whale
What is the cause? Competition, a test of strength or a game?
The study is deliberately vague in its interpretation. The researchers cite competitive behaviour, a social test of strength or a playful tussle as possible explanations.
Not just big bulls in sight
It is noteworthy that the behaviour was not only observed in adult males. Juvenile animals also played a role in the cases analysed.
Older ideas previously tended to assume that hard headbutts were primarily an issue of rivalling big males. The new images paint a broader picture.
In one of the cases described in the Balearic Islands, two juvenile males were seen close to a female. There were also clear collisions between animals in the Azores recordings. This suggests that the behaviour is not limited to a few classic competitive situations involving adult bulls.
Older tips get new support
The idea of such head-butting behaviour is not entirely new. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, researchers described conspicuous tooth scars on the heads of male sperm whales. These were seen as a possible indication of aggressive interactions between conspecifics.
There was no video evidence at the time. The new drone footage does not completely close this gap, but clearly supports the older observations.
Biomechanical studies also went in this direction early on. They formulated the hypothesis that the large forehead of the sperm whale could serve as a ram in male-male competition. Later studies also came to the conclusion that the structure of the front of the head can absorb stress during such impacts.
What this means for the "Moby Dick" myth
The sinking of the whaling barque "Essex" in 1820 is considered the most important historical model for Herman Melville's novel. Contemporary reports describe that a large sperm whale rammed the ship.
Other historical cases are also repeatedly mentioned, including the "Ann Alexander" and the "Kathleen". Such reports show that the idea of a ramming sperm whale is deeply rooted in maritime lore.
However, the new study does not turn this tradition into an established rule of behaviour. However, it does strengthen the plausible core behind it. This is because it has now been systematically documented for the first time that sperm whales use their heads with considerable force against other bodies.
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
