Overview
- Researchers reported Monday in Marine Mammal Science the first systematic video evidence of sperm whales striking each other with their heads.
- Teams working in the Azores and Spain’s Balearic Islands between 2020 and 2022 used drones to film head‑to‑head and head‑to‑body collisions near the surface, with one event paired to an acoustic tag that recorded clicks and social codas.
- Several clips feature sub‑adults and juvenile males rather than only large adult males, including a juvenile ramming a small female in the Balearics.
- The authors say the function is unknown and could reflect rough play, male competition, or shifting group dynamics, and they ask others with drone footage to share it to build a larger dataset.
- The observations echo 19th‑century mariner accounts such as the Essex sinking and show whales can strike with force, though routine ship damage or serious injury has not been demonstrated.