Polar scientists showed how a humpback whale twists a bubble net: video
“Bubble net” of the whale
Ukrainian polar explorers in the Antarctic often spot a group of humpback whales hunting with a bubble net.
They spiral around a school of fish or krill, forcing the prey to gather, then swallow itthey say in the National Antarctic Science Center.
Groups of humpback whales usually participate in such hunts, but researchers have observed cases where a single whale made a bubble net.
Biologist Vadym Tkachenko managed to record such a moment on video.
“The giant made a ring around the prey and swam up through the center. At this moment, the humpback gathered everything in its path with the help of large throat folds.
They straighten and allow a large volume of water to be collected, which the whales then push out through the baleen plates, and the fish and krill eat” – polar explorers write.
Although humpback whales have a large mouth, they can swallow a limited amount of food because they have a narrow throat. At most, it stretches only to the size of a watermelon.
More about “whale spirals”, which can reach 30 meters in diameter, polar explorers were told back in the summer.
Also, Ukrainian researchers recorded how the ice “speaks” in the ocean, and also explained why flocks of scout penguins came to the Vernadsky station.
