Humpback whales create vortex bubbles that trap prey

Researchers have released a rare footage showing how humpback whales feed in the waters of southeast Alaska.

The technique of hunting "bubble nets" in humpback whales is considered one of the most unique and complex feeding behaviors in the animal world. The footage recently recorded by scientists from the University of Hawaii gave a detailed view of this rare behavior published on October 14.

Humpback whales often migrate to Alaska in the summer to feed.

"We have two rotating angles. The drone from above shows a vortex of bubbles slowly forming on the surface of the water before humpback whales go through it to enter the surface. A close-up from the camera mounted on the back of the whale shows how bubbles are created (from the breathing hole), " said biologist Lars Bejder.

Humpback whales are inherently independent animals, but in this feeding behavior, they seem to team up for more effective hunting. The three whales are observed together creating two large bubbles of whirlpools to shove small fish and molluscs inside, allowing them to swallow thousands of prey at once.

Especially, this behavior is not observed in all humpback whales. That's not an instinctive way of hunting, but rather a technique created by some intelligent whales and a lot of hunting experience, the team said.

Humpback whales usually migrate to Alaska in the summer each year to feed, then return to warm waters in Hawaii in the winter to breed and raise children. Since the ban on commercial whaling in 1985, the humpback whale population is gradually recovering. They are no longer considered endangered animals.

Acts of hunting with rare air bubbles of humpback whales.(Video: Science Alert).

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