Open wide! A blue whale feeds on a pink mass of krill in the Southern Ocean near New Zealand. (Screenshot YouTube/Oregon State University)
The blue whale is the largest animal ever known. Even in the age of dinosaurs, with its enormous sauropods, nothing could beat this 30-metre (100-foot) long giant.
We already discussed this when we examined the new blue whale exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum. But what can we say? We felt "blue" all over again (in a good way!) when we saw this video. We just love this animal!
Alright, blue's feeling hungry?
This brand new footage shows something rarely seen: a blue whale in the act of feeding on a mass of krill. The video was shot by a drone over the Southern Ocean, off the coast of New Zealand. Drones are the perfect way to film this creature in the wild, according to Oregon State University's Leigh Torres who narrates the video. These vehicles make far less noise than a helicopter or plane, so the animal is left undisturbed. (After all, who wants to be bugged while eating?)
Throughout the video, Torres explains a whole pile of incredible facts about these massive animals and how they feed. Watch it below (and maybe grab a snack for yourself afterward).
