Get ready to see a new side of humpback whales! (© Ethan Daniels - Dreamstime.com)
Humpback whales are often seen as many things. Deep sea singers. Mighty leapers. Symbols of wildlife conservation. They're quite lovable.
But they are also predators. Sure, they don't have the vicious teeth of great white sharks and much of their day consists of swimming placidly through the endless ocean. But make no mistake, these animals hunt for their food. As for how they do it?
Well, they use bubble nets!
Deadly bubbles
A humpback whale surfacing. (Getty Embed)
What is a bubble net? It's actually a lot like what you'd think. Starting below the surface, the whales swim in a tight circle while also moving upwards. Kind of like a corkscrew. As they swim, they continuously exhale air, making bubbles.
This creates a cone of bubbles that get tighter and closer, herding small fish and crustaceans into a group. Then the whales swim up through the middle of their nets and gobble up their meal!
If it sounds cool in our description, just wait until you see it in the video below! Created by the University of Hawaii at Manoa and shot near the coast of Alaska, it combines drone footage above the water and cameras suction-cupped to the whales to give us an incredible view of bubble nets in action.
See it for yourself now!
