Strategy to encircle prey with whale's bubble nets

Humpback whales coordinate in smart bubble mesh tactics to capture small fish.

The sight of humpback whales creating a large bubble circle, putting small fish in the middle and then rushing out of the water to tear the prey Nick Woodman and the CEO of GoPro recorded with drone west of Maskelyne Island, British Columbia, Canada, Smithsonian reported on October 9.

This is a natural way of hunting in humpback whales , completely untrained by humans. This clever tactic is called hunting with bubble nets . Naturalist David Attenborough once explained this strategy on the BBC in 2015.

Flock of humpback whales to create bubble nets catch prey.(Video: GoPro).

The leading whale is responsible for locating prey and creating bubble nets. When swimming from the bottom to the spiral, it will blow air out of the sprinkler hole, forming a wall of cylindrical bubbles holding prey. The prey of humpback whales includes mollusc, herring, mackerel and some other animals.

The second whale will emit a loud sound under the water, called a hunting signal . The researchers believe that this noise will pass through bubbles, creating a delicate mesh of sound and air bubbles. The remaining whales will put prey on top, making them stuck in the bubble net.

In the end, the whales will plunge straight up to the surface of the water, open their mouths and snatch the ill-fated prey. The whole process is extremely fast and accurate. Humpback whales use baleen when eating. These are long fibers that grow under the upper jaw, composed of horns similar to human fingernails and covered with bristles, helping whales filter their prey.

People know bubble nets a few decades ago and think that this is a unique hunting behavior only available in humpback whales. However, scientists have only begun to specifically analyze the complex mechanism of this strategy in recent years.

Flocks of whales float up after coordinating the bubble mesh tactics.

In 2004 and 2005, the research team from the University of New Hampshire attached tracking devices to humpback whales and simulated their underwater movements with images for the first time. Since then, many other scientists have perfected these studies.

A 2011 study showed that the bubble grid strategy has many different types. This diversity may be due to the fact that whales are not born with the bubble net, explained Jane J. Lee, editor at National Geographic.

This tactic is learned by humpback whales through social interactions . In areas where the prey changes, the whale's hunting style also changes. This helps them to ensure that the bubble grid strategy is always effective when encircling and attacking fish or crustaceans.