You would think with a mouth so large, a humpback whale would be able to eat anything in its path with little to no effort. Yet what the video below proves is that even some of the biggest animals in the world have their feeding rituals. Uploaded in July 2014 by National Geographic, the video has had considerable popularity due to its surprising and impressive nature.
Bubble net feeding is the name given to the spectacular behavior humpback whales display when attempting to catch massive shoals of fish. Though they are capable of doing it by themselves, whales frequently team up together for a true display of skill. For Whales mirrors the video's explanation: One whale begins by diving down, then swims around the location of the fish — above them — all the while blowing a steady stream of bubbles out of its blowhole in a circular motion. Meanwhile, the other whales swim directly toward the prey in unison, forcing the fish to swim upward. The fish are then trapped within the "bubble net," and that's when the whales all converge on them with their mouths wide open. Not only is it an amazing solution for mass feeding, it's also an incredible sight. And it looks like the seagulls get to have their share, too!
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Because humpback whales do not feed in the warmer locations they inhabit for some of the year, For Whales says, they tend to consume colossal amounts of food when they reach the colder regions, such as the southeastern Alaskan waters featured in the video below. Humpback whales are capable of consuming over 3,000 pounds of food daily. Now that's feeding.
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Watch the video for a look at the marvelous phenomenon, then share it with your friends!