Whale Wisdom

Image by CurisosityStream

This newsletter’s film tip is about the cooperative behaviour of marine mammals. The documentary „Whale Wisdom“ by marine biologist and underwater filmmaker Rick Rosenthal offers fascinating insights into the intelligence and culture of marine mammals. The film examines how whales exchange knowledge, develop complex hunting strategies and pass on cultural traits over generations.

Rosenthal accompanies humpback whales, orcas and sperm whales on their migrations. The film shows that whales not only have impressive cognitive abilities. They also develop social structures and ways of communicating that indicate a sophisticated form of culture. One example of this is the learning and passing on of songs in humpback whales, which spread over long distances and are changed every year.

The documentary also sheds light on the interactions between different whale species, such as the common hunting behaviour of orcas and humpback whales, which learn from each other and adapt their techniques. Rosenthal asks whether these behaviours can be considered cultural traits and what they reveal about the consciousness and social structures of whales.

„Whale Wisdom“was honoured with several international film awards in 2019, including the Golden Dolphin at the Wildlife Film Festival Rotterdam and the Golden World Medal for Cinematography and Nature Documentary. The film is available in German and English and can be accessed via various streaming platforms such as ARTE and Amazon Prime Video.

This interesting, informative documentary is of interest to nature and animal lovers and can be used for educational purposes to promote understanding of the complexity and intelligence of marine mammals.

By Fatima Kutzschbach