The first-ever video of humpback whales making bubble nets to capture prey was recently shared! (Video)
You won’t see a more amazing natural scene than this. A new video from the University of Hawaii shows humpback whales swimming in a circle and blowing bubbles to trap their prey. Researchers captured this incredible behavior for the first time using drone footage and a special whale’s-eye view.
The team used drones to record video and gather important data while researching the possible causes of a drop in humpback whale numbers. They filmed in the cold blue-green waters of Southern Alaska, using cameras and sensors attached to the whales with suction cups, along with drones, to capture the footage and data.
In the video, humpback whales are shown swimming in a shrinking spiral around a school of fish while blowing air to form a bubble wall. As the bubbles close in, the whales move through the small area and open their mouths to eat. “This footage is groundbreaking,” said Lars Bejder, director of the UH Mānoa Marine Mammal Research Program. “We’re seeing how these whales manipulate their prey and prepare it for capture, giving us new insights we haven’t had before.”
Each winter, up to 10,000 humpback whales travel to Hawaii to breed. However, only about 3,000 of them head to Alaska for the summer feeding season. The whales stop eating during their 3,000-mile migration and only resume feeding when they reach their summer feeding grounds months later. Female whales use a lot of energy giving birth, nursing, and caring for their young in Hawaii before they return to their feeding areas.
According to the researchers, the new video should help clarify how prey depletion and climate change-related changes in habitat use and food availability are related.
