WF#22: How Whales Feed Part Five: Baleen Whales - Gray Whale Bottom Feeding

 Gray whales have baleen, but they prey on the critters on the ocean floor. So, they swim sideways along the bottom, sucking up the sediments and filtering out the goodies, like a giant vacuum cleaner. This form of filter feeding is called bottom feeding.

 Fun Fact: Grey Whales are either righties or lefties when it comes to which side of the face is scraping along the bottom - it's always the same side! As a result, many have barnacles and other growths only on one side of their face, as they all get knocked off during feeding on their chosen side.

Photo Credit: UC Berkley

You can see a Gray whale bottom feeding in this picture. Notice that it is sideways. It most likely always feeds in this orientation.

Photo credit: Scienceline.org

Here you can see how there are more barnacles on one side than the other!

WF#21: How Whales Feed Part Four: Baleen Whales - Humpback Whale Lobtail Bubble Net Feeding

A population of humpback whales have modified bubble net feeding (using bubble to catch prey) to add lob tailing - slapping the water with the tail. This scares the prey away from the surface thus reducing loss stealing sea birds. It also adds to the bubble net effect in creating a tight bait ball.


This technique, first observed near Baja Mexico, has spread from population to population, proving that humpbacks learn from and teach each other and that they have a culture!

Photo credit: offset.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The picture here shows a humpback whale lob-tailing. in this case, it's entire lower third of it's body (aka peduncle) is out of the water, so this can also be termed as a peduncle throw.