Dear MARMAM, On behalf of my co-authors, I am pleased to share our new publication in Marine Mammal Science: Sharpe, F., Frediani, J., Hubbard, J., Perrine, D., Hilbourne, S., Reidenberg, J. S., Doyle, L. R., McCowan, B. (2025), Humpback Whales Blow Poloidal Vortex Bubble Rings. Marine Mammal Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.70026 This note focuses onbubble rings, a unique and sparsely documented genre of bubble featuresproduced by baleen whales, although well-described among odontocetes, includingAtlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus, McCowan et al. 2000), belugawhales (Delphinapterus leucas, Hill et al. 2011), and Orinoco dolphins (Iniageoffrensis, Gewalt 1989). Not to be confused with a bubble net (spiral-shapedfish trap, a ring is a poloidally spinning, air-infused vortex. At StellwagenBank in the North Atlantic Ocean, Payne (1995) described them as “madlyspinning doughnut-shaped clouds that look like giant smoke rings about threefeet in diameter that rise rapidly to the surface.” Payne opines on theirfrequency, noting: “Only one particular whale has been known to engage in thisactivity, and even she seldom does it. However, once she gets going, theprocess becomes obvious and is done vigorously. Here we report on 12ring-production episodes involving 39 bubble rings produced by 11 individualhumpback whales. The aim of this research is to describe contexts in whichhumpback whales produce bubble rings and provide insights into their potentialfunctions. We examine evidence for Payne's (1995) hypothesis that bubble ringsare associated with foraging as defined by being produced in the presence ofprey and feeding activity (vertical lunges, open mouths, extended ventralpleats). Next, we examine the hypothesis that rings are associated with socialaggression, as proposed for wild spotted and bottlenose dolphins (Herzing 1996,2000; Pryor 1990; Pryor and Kang 1980). We use Baker and Herman's (1984) andPitman et al.'s (2017) definition of aggressive behavior in humpback whales,which includes high levels of arousal, wheezed blows, trumpet blows, slashingof the tail and flippers, and charges directed toward antagonists (e.g., malerivals, killer whales [Orcinus orca]). We also examine whether rings are linkedto inquisitive behavior in which whales approach boats and swimmers (Mangott etal. 2011; Swartz 2018). Finally, using drone observations collected by severalprivate investigators, we searched for ring production in the absence of boatsand close human presence. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.70026 Paper is Open Access. Thank you, Jodi Frediani Jodi Frediani831-426-1697 jodifredi@aol.comUC Davis Research AffiliateWhale-SETI Research TeamJodi Frediani Photography http://www.jodifrediani.comWild Monterey Bay http://www.wildmontereybay.com