What do Whales Eat?
As is indicated in the discussions of individual species, various species of whales feed at different levels on the food chain. Some species feed on the swarms of zooplankton (copepods and euphausiids, or “krill”). Others feed on schooling fish. The sperm whale feeds on squid. The type of prey may determine how a specific species feeds. Some may be called lungers–they take huge gulps of water containing their prey. Others are skimmers–they swim along with their mouths open before straining out their prey. One of the more interesting feeding methods has been observed in humpback whales. They sometimes construct bubble nets around a school of fish and then lunge up through the bubble net to get their food.
