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Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeanglia) cooperative feeding using a bubble net, the Morris Reef, Chatham Strait, Southeast Alaska, USA.

I remember this group of bubblenet feeders very distinctly because I had many close encounters with them on the Morris Reef. There was a core group of the usual 5 or 6 individual whales and they were creating a lot of bubble nets. On this occasion they were so close to me that I had to remove my headphones because the sound of their feeding call was so loud and piercing. It was a sound that became so familiar to me, and was so ingrained in my mind that it constantly haunted my thoughts. I would imagine that it has the same effect on their prey.
The baleen plates of one of the whales are clearly visible, and the means by which the water is filtered through them retaining any prey in its mouth.

Filename
Humpback whales-20.tif
Copyright
© 2012 Duncan Murrell
Image Size
5378x3544 / 109.2MB
Contained in galleries
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeanglia) cooperative feeding using a bubble net, the Morris Reef, Chatham Strait, Southeast Alaska, USA.<br /> <br /> I remember this group of bubblenet feeders very distinctly because I had many close encounters with them on the Morris Reef. There was a core group of the usual 5 or 6 individual whales and they were creating a lot of bubble nets. On this occasion they were so close to me that I had to remove my headphones because the sound of their feeding call was so loud and piercing. It was a sound that became so familiar to me, and was so ingrained in my mind that it constantly haunted my thoughts. I would imagine that it has the same effect on their prey. <br /> The baleen plates of one of the whales are clearly visible, and the means by which the water is filtered through them retaining any prey in its mouth.