WATCH: Whales caught making out for the first time ever
This slightly sexy discovery is making waves!
Orcas have been making headlines in recent years for their crazy antics.
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They've been spotted wearing salmon on their heads like hats and attacking boats in the Mediterranean.
In the Western Cape, they've been reportedly killing sharks!
Now, there is new scientific research that has documented another interesting behaviour.
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Citizen scientists have captured wild orcas (Orcinus orca) in Norway's Kvænangen fjords nibbling each other's tongues, seemingly making out like two young lovers.
The interaction, captured opportunistically by citizen scientists during a snorkelling expedition, lasted nearly two minutes and involved repeated episodes of gentle, face-to-face oral contact. This behaviour closely resembles sequences observed and described in detail in zoological settings, suggesting that it forms part of the species’ natural social repertoire.
While Beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) have been seen displaying mouth-to-mouth interaction in the wild, this is the first instance that has been captured of Orcas.
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A previous study in 2019 captured this behaviour in captivity.
"We documented the pattern 'gentle tongue bite', where an animal touches the other's tongue with his teeth but does not bite it," the researchers explained.
Neither species seems to show any signs of aggression during the interaction. While making any solid conclusions from just one observation is difficult, it is suspected that orcas could be using this to maintain social bonds.
It probably isn't even as sexy as the headline might make it sound.
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The research team does speculates that this could be a type of begging behaviour or social grooming (as seen in primate behaviour).
It could also be a cultural trend, like a game passing through the pod.
Each orca pod is able to create its own distinct cultures, such as kelp or pebble grooming. In some extreme cases, they choose to attack boats.
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There is still much to learn about these extraordinary animals.
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Main image courtesy of iStock