Whale Watching in the San Juan Islands of Washington State

by James Owen
for National Geographic News

A lone killer whale near a Canadian fishing village was a skilled mimic that barked just like a sea lion, a new study reveals.

Researchers say the barking calls of the killer whale, or orca, known as Luna proves killer whales can learn to produce novel sounds in the wild, a skill considered rare among mammals.

Additionally, the team says, these barks were interspersed with recognizable killer whale calls or echolocation clicks and occurred when no sea lions were present.

A killer whale call sounding like a bark had previously never been reported.

The team says Luna’s barks are examples of vocal learning, whereby an animal is able to alter the way it makes sounds after listening to other noises.

Unequivocal evidence for vocal learning, the study authors write, “can include the production of novel sounds not found in the animal’s natural repertoire.”

Rare among animals, vocal learning is known in humans, dolphins, elephants, and certain species of birds.

Luna’s barking was likely learned from the sea lions he was frequently seen around, Foote says.

“He was exposed to the sea lions for several weeks at a time and often interacted with them, which may have triggered the mimicry,” he said.

Foote adds that tapes of the solitary killer whale revealed another type of unusual call, which may have had a human source.

“The call type apparently resembles the whistle of a local fisherman who used to whistle to Luna when he saw him.”

Lonely Luna?

The study suggests that Luna also mimicked other killer whales he occasionally came across. Sound recordings link his calls to a different pod than those of the one he was born into.

Luna, which was born in 1999, may have become separated from his natal pod before he had time to learn the calls that identify it, Foote says.

“Each pod has a unique call repertoire,” Foote said. “Although most calls are used by all the pods occasionally, many of the calls are predominantly used by one pod.”

The study suggests that vocal learning may enable killer whales to develop and learn specific calls that help to strengthen family bonds and keep a pod together through group recognition.

A similar explanation has been proposed for other animal mimics that show evidence of vocal learning.

A study published last year in the journal Nature reported on an orphaned female elephant from a wildlife reserve in Kenya, East Africa. She mimicked the sound of rumbling traffic on a nearby highway.

Elephants “may well be able to produce unique calls, like a vocal signature, that are particular to that individual or to its family or to very closely bonded individuals,” said lead researcher Joyce Poole, scientific director of the Amboseli Elephant Research Project in Kenya.

Poole says this ability may be particularly important to animals like elephants that often communicate over long distances.

Another study, which appeared last May in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that bottlenose dolphins use vocal learning to create distinctive whistles.

These so-called signature whistles are thought to act like names, helping bottlenose dolphins locate and identify others in their group.

RELATED STORIES

* “Killer” Fossil Find May Rewrite Story of Whale Evolution (August 16, 2006)
* Evolution of Whales in National Geographic Magazine
* New Technology Reveals Killer Whale Conversations (April 2, 2004)

This summer has been one of the best in terms of daily whale sightings around the islands. J, K and L pod have been here since early June and appear to be getting enough salmon to keep them here for the near future. Both of the newborns appear well along with some of the older whales such as Granny (J-2) who is approximately 90 years old. The younger males who last year were still juveniles have grown and spouted their dorsal fins and now look almost full grown. One young male in J pod, Blackberry, was unrecognizable to me when I first saw him this year. He grew and has a dorsal fin almost six feet tall now!

The salmon runs have been excellent this summer. There was a fishing derby at Deer Harbor Marina a couple of weeks ago with salmon being brought in weighing over 30 lbs. and not by only one boat. Most of the boats in the derby caught salmon.

We have noticed a sharp decline in sea birds this year, especially glaucous wing seagulls. I’ve heard the nesting sites here and along the coast have failed. If you are near the water take a look around and see if you see many gulls. It’s interesting that gulls are a bird we kind of take for granted. They always seem to be everywhere, ready to take any opportunity for food whether it be organic or nonorganic. Not this year. Hopefully the population will make a rebound in years to come and this year is a rare occurrence and not a sign of trouble in the ecosystem.

An interesting sighting of late has been a couple of sea otters seen on the west side of San Juan Island as well as near Speiden Island. We’ve heard the sea otter is slowing making a comeback on the coast after being reintroduced there a few years ago. These otters must have wandered in, found what they like and have decided to stay, at least for the short term. It is a real treat to see such beautiful animals here again.

For the month of August our schedule remains the same, 9:30 AM and 2 PM trips from Deer Harbor Marina and Rosario Resort. There are courtesy phones outside our offices if no one is there. We now have a courtesy phone at Shearwater Kayak’s office in Eastsound (thanks Jeff and Tom).