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Quick Take

• Two humpback whales turn a coordinated hunt into a stunning underwater spiral of bubbles.

• Bubble-net feeding shows how these baleen whales work together to corral fish before lunging upward to eat.

• The footage offers a rare, close look at one of the ocean’s most intelligent and visually mesmerizing feeding behaviors.

Videos of animals hunting prey can be fascinating but gruesome. This one is a bit different. The clip of two humpback whales bubble feeding in synchrony is as beautiful as it is interesting. It shows the two magnificent whales creating a perfect spiral of white bubbles in the blue ocean and emerging at the center, mouths wide open.

Watch the Mesmerizing Sight Now

What Do Humpback Whales Normally Eat?

Humpback whales are filter feeders that mainly eat small crustaceans such as krill and also feed on small schooling fish. Their diet varies by region and prey availability. The type of fish they eat varies depending on where they live. North Atlantic humpbacks, for example, eat sand lance, herring, and pollock. In the North Pacific and Bering Sea, humpbacks feed mainly on krill, but they also take fish such as Pacific herring, capelin, juvenile pollock, sand lance, cod, and Atka mackerel, depending on location.

What Is Bubble-Net Feeding?

Bubble-net feeding is a complex and cooperative hunting strategy used by groups of humpback whales. It involves a high level of communication and cooperation, which demonstrates just how intelligent these animals are.

It begins with the whales diving deep below a school of fish. Then, they release bubbles underwater to corral, concentrate, and disorient the fish, often pushing them toward the surface before lunging up through the bubble net. One whale usually leads the hunt, followed by another whale or the rest of the group. In cooperative bubble-net feeding, one whale may create the bubble net while other whales can help herd prey with vocalizations or body positioning before the group lunges upward through the concentrated school. This keeps the fish trapped in one place and makes them easier to swallow!

How Do Humpback Whales Normally Eat?

Humpback whales are lunge feeders. They surge through dense patches of prey with their mouths open, taking in prey along with a large volume of water. Then, they close their mouth and force the water out past their baleen plates. These are special filters that trap the food, which is then pushed towards the throat, using the tongue, and swallowed.

What Other Hunting Methods Do They Use?

Humpback whales also use other prey-herding behaviors involving bubbles, turbulence, and surface disturbance. In some observations, they strike the water with their flukes to create turbulence or foam before turning back and lunging through the disturbed area. The circle of foam surrounds the prey, who are now stuck in one place and are easier to swallow. The whales dive under the prey and resurface with their mouth wide open.

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