Overview
- A peer-reviewed paper in Animal Behavior and Cognition compiles 66 clips from 2014 to 2025 that show humpbacks holding their mouths wide open away from feeding grounds.
- The team labels the posture “gaping” and says its purpose is unknown, offering ideas such as social display, play, baleen cleaning, jaw stretching, or a response to a dislocation.
- Most clips came from boats, with 24 from swimmers and 6 from drones, and some underwater clips captured mouth claps that made sound and playful calf behavior.
- Reports now span Tonga, Hawaii, and Australia, and the authors caution that an apparent rise could reflect more whales, more tours, and more cameras rather than a real change.
- The study shows how posts from tourists and operators can flag rare whale behavior and sets up targeted field work to test which explanation fits best.