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Moby Dick 'ship sinking' sperm whales caught headbutting on camera
- March 23, 2026 at 4:00 PM
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New research from the University of St Andrews reports sperm whales headbutting one another. The behavior was captured on film and described scientifically for the first time, confirming accounts by 19th century mariners of sperm whales using their heads to deliberately push and strike objects, occasionally even sinking ships, thereby inspiring Herman Melville's classic tale Moby Dick.
Originally published at Phys.org