This is why I love the internet.
I could be scrolling through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, wherever, and all of a sudden a post like this will pop up, and I’ll learn about something that I never knew existed.
Like the “bubble net,” for instance.
Living in upstate South Carolina, I’ll admit that I have very minimal knowledge about humpback whales. And when I say “minimal” knowledge, I mean next to nothing.
The caption to the video explains it all:
“In bubble net feeding (that’s 4), one or several humpback whales swim in a circle beneath a school of prey, like krill or small fish. While doing so, they blow bubbles from their blowholes. These bubbles rise and form a ‘net,’ which encircles and confuses the prey, making them cluster together.
Once the prey is concentrated within this ‘bubble net,’ other whales in the group will often lunge upward through the center of the circle with their mouths open, consuming large quantities of the trapped prey.
This collaborative hunting strategy showcases not only the intelligence of humpback whales but also their ability to work together in coordinated efforts to maximize their feeding efficiency.”
In the video footage, you can see the bubble net being played out to perfection. The confused seagulls all begin to gather together, confused as to what’s going on beneath them.
That’s when a few humpbacks emerge from the water, and take home some dinner.
Check it out:
