<story><title>Why did a humpback whale save a seal&apos;s life? (2016)</title><url>https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/07/why-did-humpback-whale-just-save-seals-life</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>rossdavidh</author><text>So, as in many cases when scientists (or science writers) discuss the motivations of mammals with big brains, they go to a lot of effort to avoid the obvious conclusion, which is that the humpback did it for a similar reason to why a human might make a coyote lay off an attack on a raccoon or possum.  We wouldn&amp;#x27;t always, but plenty of humans would, and it wouldn&amp;#x27;t be for any particularly abstract or intellectual reason, it&amp;#x27;s more like, &amp;quot;the coyote is being mean, make it stop because I can.&amp;quot;&lt;p&gt;Sometimes, scientists remind me of mid-20th century behaviorists trying to explain human behavior.</text></comment>
<story><title>Why did a humpback whale save a seal&apos;s life? (2016)</title><url>https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/07/why-did-humpback-whale-just-save-seals-life</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>Ididntdothis</author><text>I know somebody who studied orcas in school and she said that humpbacks tend to give orcas a hard time whenever they meet them. It’s understandable since orcas often attack their young ones.</text></comment>