I would never have guessed that the weapon of choice for a humpback whale is bubbles. Lots of bubbles. Researchers have found that these whales create what are called "bubble nets" around schools of fish. The fish see the tiny bubbles as a barrier that they cannot cross. The whales then swim through the barrier and feast on the trapped fish.
If only my fishing pole could be that successful.
- Log in to post comments
More like this
I really love fishing! I can't think of a more relaxing time than sitting by the lake, or a more exciting time than going deep sea fishing. Therefore, I find animals that have come up with unique ways of catching fish pretty interesting. Take for example the humpback whales that we talked about in…
Perhaps you've heard about the wayward humpback whales, a mother and calf, who had become disoriented and began swimming inland towards Sacramento, California. They were traveling down the Sacramento River, causing a lot of grief to the Coast Guard and to marine biologists trying to think of a way…
Gray's paradox was originated by the zoologist James Gray in 1936 (J. Exp. Biol. 13: 192–199, 1936). The paradox questioned how a dolphin is able to swim fast (~10.1 meters per second according to his calculations) with what he saw as a limited ability to generate that much power. Therefore, he…
The plight of just two humpback whales that got themselves lost up the Sacramento River has got the nation transfixed. This sort of thing happens every few years. Back in 1988, it was three gray whales trapped in the ice on the north slope of Alaska. It's curious how we, as in news directors, get…
This has been very well known for about .. umm ... 40 years. Is this supposed to be a science blog?
I saw this in Alaska with 3-4 whales in a group. I am intrigued by how the group of whales coordinates the bubble nest together. Researchers should listen more closely to the whale vocalizations too.