Captivating moment an Antarctic humpback whale ‘surrounds and traps its prey’

Spectacular moments of humpback whales adopting a “coordinated hunting strategy” have been captured in Antarctica.

Piet van den Bemd is a 28-year-old photographer and drone pilot from the Netherlands who spends about four months a year in Antarctica and five in the high Arctic. months. The photographer shared the footage in a video posted on his Instagram account @pietvandenbemd.

“What you’re seeing are two humpback whales feeding in a synchronized bubble net,” he told us Weekly newspaper”, “Impressive coordinated hunting strategy among humpback whales. “

The drone pilot said he has witnessed this “from time to time” during his time spent in the polar regions, but “it’s still a rare event.”

However, “this time the whale behaved perfectly. Fibonacci Sequence [spiral] The perfect shape makes it incredible and a moment that will never be forgotten. In all the time I’ve spent here, I’ve never managed to capture it this way,” he points out.

Humpback whales hunt in bubble nets in Antarctica. Piet van den Bemd, who shot the footage, told Newsweek that humpback whales work together in this feeding behavior to “confuse and trap” by releasing rings of bubbles or nets. “House” small fish, thereby “surrounding and capturing prey.”
Piet van den Bemd on Instagram @pietvandenbemd

What is Bubble Net Breeding?

NOAA explains that bubble net feeding is a behavior in which humpback whales “contain fish in a small area by trapping them in bubble nets so they can more efficiently harvest them with their large mouths” them”. National Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The hunting strategy involves humpback whales working together to “surround and capture prey” by releasing rings or nets of bubbles that “confuse and enclose small fish or krill (small shrimp-like shellfish),” van den Beemde said.

The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation notes: “This is a complex, highly synchronized set of behaviors that involve communication and cooperation and show signs of high social intelligence.

“Usually, one whale takes the lead, followed by the others. The lead whale is usually responsible for blowing bubbles, and the other members will surround the fish and follow them as they swim to the surface in a spiral to prevent the fish from becoming trapped,” the fund said. would add.

Humpback whales are “gobblers,” meaning they eat by opening their mouths wide and “swallowing everything in their path before closing their mouths.”

During feeding in the bubble net, the whale “swims through the center of the bubble net with its mouth open, catching concentrated prey,” van den Beemde said.

The photographer pointed out that krill are an important part of the Antarctic ecosystem and the main food source for various marine organisms.

He explained: “Many species, including whales, seals, penguins and seabirds, rely on krill as a staple food. The interconnected nature of this food web means changes in krill populations may have consequences for higher trophic levels. chain reaction.”

Trophic level is a term that refers to the position of an organism in a food chain.

“In addition, krill play a vital role in carbon sequestration (the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide). Because these tiny crustaceans feed on phytoplankton and then sink to deeper waters when they die, they Transporting carbon from the surface to the ocean depths. This helps regulate the carbon cycle and contributes to the overall health and stability of the Antarctic marine ecosystem,” van dem Bemd added.

The whale's tail pokes out of the sea. — A whale’s tail pokes out of the water. Photographer and drone pilot Piet van den Bemd, who recently witnessed bubble-net predation in Antarctica, told Newsweek it was an “impressive coordinated hunting strategy among humpback whales.”
Piet van den Bemd on Instagram @pietvandenbemd

“spectacular” and “crazy”

The caption of the post shared by van den Bemd on Instagram read: “Witness the mesmerizing dance of two humpback whales synchronized to feed on a bubble net. Nature’s perfect collaboration unfolds beneath the waves.”

Users on Instagram were shocked by the footage.

User kaitlinschaer wrote: “This is incredible. Infusing bubbles in the most perfect interlocking spirals.”

User r3d_feather commented: “This is spectacular! This inspired my next adventure!”

User darylswalker simply said: “Crazy, bro.”

User scottybauer_ wrote: “Awesome, reminds me of seashells.”

User mezzaluna2 said: “Awesome! We saw them in Alaska using bubble nets to catch food, but you don’t see anything like this from a boat.”

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