During fieldwork in the Azores and Balearic Islands in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, a team of scientists using a drone captured sperm whales using their heads to deliberately headbutt each other.

First Video Evidence of Unique Whale Behavior

The first-ever study to capture this type of behavior in sperm whales was published in the journal Marine Mammal Science.

“It was really exciting to observe this behavior, which we knew had been hypothesized for such a long time, but not yet documented and described systematically,” Dr. Alec Burslem, a study co-author and biologist at the University of St Andrews in Scotland who witnessed this behavior first-hand, said in a statement.

Since open-boat whaling in the 19th century, mariners have reported that whales have used their heads to strike and push objects, sometimes sinking ships in the process. A few famous examples include Essex in 1820, Ann Alexander in 1851, and Kathleen in 1902.

Sperm whales typically exhibit this practice below the water’s surface, making it difficult to observe until now. Though the behavior has been proven through video, researchers are still speculating regarding why it occurs.

For example, while some researchers believe that it may be some form of male-male physical competition, others argue that using the head as a weapon wouldn’t be favored by evolution, especially since the head is vital for producing sounds and echolocation.

Though more observations and studies are needed to determine the function of this behavior, drone technology will certainly provide more opportunities to observe it and potentially new behaviors.

“This unique overhead perspective for observing and documenting near-surface behavior is just one of the ways drone technology is transforming the study of wildlife biology,” added Burslem, who is now based at the University of Hawaii. “It’s exciting to think about what as-yet unseen behaviors we may soon uncover, as well how more headbutting observations may help us to shed light on the functions the behavior may serve. If there are people out there with similar footage, we would be very keen to hear from them.”