How do humpback whales hunt its prey?
Humpback whales have developed different hunting techniques. Sometimes they simply swim through a large swarm of krill with an open mouth taking in tons of water and krill. In order to be able to take up such masses in the mouth, the throat grooves expand greatly. The water exits the mouth through the baleen plates when the tongue is pressed to the roof of the mouth. On a large whale, the tongue alone can weigh 2 tons! The small crustaceans or fish are caught behind the baleen plates (see also: What are baleen plates?) and then swallowed. A very specific technique of the Humpback whale can be observed: sometimes four to six whales unite in a group, diving down and circling a swarm of krill or fish. While circling and slowly emerging to the surface, the whales discharge air so that a net of bubbles develops. These bubbles force the prey in the center of the circle and what looks like a circle of ascending bubbles emerges, resulting in a spectacular event where several humpback whales wi
