PREVIEW

What a Moby-Dick! Sperm whales filmed headbutting for first time to validate classic novel. Scientists have filmed sperm whales headbutting one another for the first time - validating scenes depicted in the 19th-century novel Moby-dick. The research, led by the University of St Andrews, suggests the behaviour may have inspired dramatic historical reports of whales striking ships - including the real-life events behind Moby-Dick. Using drone technology, researchers captured footage of the animals colliding head-first, along with the surrounding social interactions. The recordings were made during fieldwork in the Azores and the Balearic Islands between 2020 and 2022. The findings, published on 23 March in the journal Marine Mammal Science, indicate that the behaviour is primarily seen among younger, sub-adult whales, rather than between large males, as previously thought. There has been speculation that headbutting may stem from physical contests between whales. One of the most famous incidents involved the sinking of the whaleship Essex in 1820 - an event that later inspired Herman Melville’s novel Moby-Dick. Dr Burlem’s research shows these incidents are not wild whalers’ tales - but reality.
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