🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Jul27.142023.28312@news.acns.nwu.edu> dsk@nwu.edu writes:
>I was at the aquarium/oceanarium in Chicago last weekend, and noticed that
>the two Beluga whales in a large tank were doing something rather strange.
>
>They were just breaking the surface from underwater, collecting a small bit
>of air, and blowing it under water into perfect rings (similar to smoke rings.)
>After the rings spun and grew and moved a bit, the whales would swim down and
>bite part of the ring, or try to swim through it, until it collapsed.  Then
>they went back to the surface, and did it again.
>
>A staff member there told me that the whales had just started this within the
>last month, and the staff had no idea why they were doing it.
>
>Is this common behaviour of whales in captivity, or in the wild?  Does it
>serve a function?  Do other animals play in a manner similar to this?
>
>Thanks for any information,
>Dan
>-- 
>Dan Katz                                                       dsk@nwu.edu
>Dept. of Electrical Engineering                             1(708)491-8887
>Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208                E pur si muove


I have no idea why whales do it or if it is common behavior, but I 
have seen sea lions at the local zoo make bubble rings as well.

El Gates

egates@triton.unm.edu