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Killer Whales Seen ‘Kissing’ for the First Time in the Wild, Photo Shows
- Scientists recorded a nearly two-minute interaction of wild orcas gently nibbling each other's tongues in Norway's Kvænangen fjords in October 2024.
- This rare behavior, known as tongue-nibbling, was previously only documented in captive orcas and was observed during a chance encounter by citizen scientists following Norwegian guidelines.
- The whales repeated the gentle, face-to-face oral contact three times without aggression, closely resembling kissing-like behavior seen in captivity and thought to reinforce social bonds.
- Marine scientist Javier Almunia noted, "Tongue-nibbling is exceptionally rare," and suggested oral contact may serve as a more versatile social communication among cetaceans given their anatomy.
- Published in the journal Oceans, this discovery highlights how careful wildlife tourism can advance research and enrich understanding of orca culture and social dynamics in the wild.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Orcas captured ‘kissing’ on camera for the first time
Watch the moment two orcas were caught on camera “kissing” in the wild for the first time. Remarkable footage shows the pair of killer whales nibbling each other’s tongues for almost two minutes before parting and swimming away. The unusual interaction was captured by a group of nature tourists on a snorkelling expedition in the Norwegian Fjords in October 2024. In a paper published in the journal Oceans on June 11 analysing the behaviour, the r…
Affectionate 'tongue nibbling' observed for the first time among orcas in the wild
A study published in the journal Oceans details the remarkable chance encounter between a group of citizen scientists on a snorkeling expedition in the Kvænangen fjords of Norway and a pair of killer whales (Orcinus orca).
Researchers cited by New Scientist documented dozens of cases in which these cetaceans offer dead prey to divers and experts. Why they warn that this behavior could reconfigure the idea of animal altruism
Orca Whales Captured 'Making Out' in the Wild For the First Time in 'Exceptionally Rare' Kissing Session
"... Its prevalence is extremely low — it may appear and then not be observed again for several years," the study’s co-author, Javier Almunia saidOceans Journal A video frame showing two orca 'tongue-nibbling'NEED TO KNOWScientists have recorded wild orcas "tongue-nibbling" for the first time, sharing the evidence in a recent studyThe behavior is considered "extremely rare" by scientists and was previously only seen by juvenile orcas in captivit…
Orcas Caught 'Kissing' For Two Minutes With Tongue
We've recently seen orcas foray into the world of fashion by wearing dead salmon as hats. Now a pair of orcas has been caught 'French kissing', taking their apparent mockery of human habits towards another flavor of gross. The whales' slobber sharing was incidentally captured by citizen scientists who observed and recorded the wild orcas (Orcinus orca) nibbling on each other's tongues in Norway's Kvænangen fjords. Maybe the marine mammals used s…
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