Humpback Whales Bubble Net Feeding in Chatham Strait, Alaska

A group of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) engaged in cooperative foraging behavior commonly referred to as bubble net feeding. The whales find and encircle schools of fish, blowing bubbles as they do so to create a net around the fish and drive them to the surface. The whales then surround the fish and charge up in unison through their prey with mouths wide open. By working together, the whales are able to herd large schools of fish that would be more challenging for a single whale to capture. Photograph taken in Chatham Strait, Alaska.

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Filename: humpback-whales-bubble-net-feedin-chatham-strait-alaska-2012067-0807.tif
Copyright: Copyright Tony Wu. All rights reserved. No duplication without prior written permission
Image Size: 4896x3264 / 45.8MB; https://www.photoshelter.com/support/license#rm; https://www.tony-wu.com/contact-tony-wu; Humpback Whale Animalia Chordata Mammalia Eutheria Cetacea Mysticeti Balaenopteridae Megaptera novaeangliae Cetartiodactyla Baleen Whale CITES Appendix 1 Filter Feeder Least Concern: IUCN Red List Marine Mammal Mysticete Rorqual Feeding Bubble-net Feeding Cooperative Hunting Social Foraging Open Mouth Pacific United States of America Alaska Juneau Chatham Strait
Contained in galleries: Bubble Net Feeding, Say Ahhhhh!, Humpback Whale Activity

A group of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) engaged in cooperative foraging behavior commonly referred to as bubble net feeding. The whales find and encircle schools of fish, blowing bubbles as they do so to create a net around the fish and drive them to the surface. The whales then surround the fish and charge up in unison through their prey with mouths wide open. By working together, the whales are able to herd large schools of fish that would be more challenging for a single whale to capture. Photograph taken in Chatham Strait, Alaska.