Biology
The Social Learning and Cultural Transmission of Foraging Techniques in Humpback Whales
Quick fact
In the 1980s, humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine began using a new foraging technique called 'lobtail feeding'—slapping their tails before lunging at prey—and it spread rapidly through the population by social learning, not genetics.
Why this is interesting
Imagine a whale inventing a new way to catch fish and then teaching it to its friends—sounds like science fiction, but that's exactly what humpback whales do.