07/05/2025
Spa Day
In an extraordinary and first-of-its-kind discovery, researchers have observed killer whales using tools a behavior never before recorded in marine mammals.
Captured through drone footage in the Salish Sea, a body of water between British Columbia and Washington State, a pod of Southern Resident killer whales was seen engaging in a newly identified behavior called “allokelping.” This involves the whales intentionally detaching strands of bull kelp long, thick seaweed and using it to gently rub against each other’s bodies.
What’s the purpose of this underwater self-care ritual? Scientists believe it serves both practical and social functions: removing dead skin and parasites (thanks to bull kelp’s natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties), while also strengthening bonds between pod members. It’s essentially a spa day and a bonding session rolled into one.
Led by Dr. Deborah Giles of the conservation group Wild Orca, in collaboration with Beam Reach and SR3, the study documented over 100 instances of this behavior. It’s the first confirmed example of marine mammals not only using tools, but using them cooperatively something previously thought to be limited to intelligent land species like primates and birds.
These observations add to the growing evidence that orcas are not just highly intelligent creatures, but cultural beings with their own learned traditions and behaviors.
However, this remarkable discovery also comes with a sobering reminder: the Southern Resident killer whale population is critically endangered, with fewer than 75 individuals left. Their primary food source, Chinook salmon, is dwindling, and the kelp forests they rely on are under threat from climate change and pollution.
So, what may seem like a fascinating quirk of animal behavior is actually part of a much deeper story one of intelligence, tradition, and the urgent need to protect a species whose culture is as rich and complex as any on Earth.
