National Geographic: How Humpback Whales Use Bubbles as a Tool
How humpback whales use bubbles as a tool
A new study confirms a theory that humpbacks are a tool-using species, as they deploy nets of bubbles to catch fish and krill.
Chimpanzees use sticks to fish for termites, sea otters crack open clams with a rock and dolphins use sea sponges on their noses for protection while foraging on the ocean floor. A new study adds humpback whales to the list of non-human species that use tools. Humpbacks may not only use a tool, but create it from their environment by blowing bubbles.
Around the world, humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) use bubble-nets to trap certain prey such as krill, herring, and young salmon, sometimes in coordinated groups and at times alone. The whales dive down below their prey and swim in circles while releasing bubbles from their blowholes to create a rising curtain. The curtain creates a visual barrier that tricks the prey into thinking there’s no escape. Once the prey is tightly corralled, the whales lunge through the bubble-net with open mouths to swallow their meal. This feeding behavior has been observed for decades, but the precise mechanics behind it are difficult to study and have long remained a mystery.
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