Southern resident killer whales have been caught on drone video crafting kelp tools to groom one another—an unprecedented behavior among marine mammals. This suggests a deeper social and cultural complexity in these endangered whales than scientists previously realized.

Other animals including some early humans, non-human primates, sea otters, elephants, and bird species are known to use objects to make tools. While the bubble nets that humpback whales use to catch fish are considered tools by some scientists, our knowledge of tool use in marine animals is much more limited.