Recent drone footage in the Salish Sea has revealed that southern resident killer whales engage in tool use by breaking off bull kelp stalks to groom themselves and close pod-mates. This novel form of social grooming, documented by Michael Weiss at the Center for Whale Research and published in Current Biology, underscores complex social dynamics and cognitive abilities within this endangered population of fewer than 80 individuals. The whales methodically press kelp between bodies for extended periods, a behavior distinct from play or kelping and potentially linked to skin condition.