How Does a Blue Whale Feed?

Massive blue whales feed on very tiny prey called krill. How do they manage to get enough to eat? Hint: it involves literally doubling in size! In Part Three of our four-part Giants of the Sea series, we’ll hitch a ride on the back of a blue whale to learn about its incredible feeding mechanism.

#Whales #Feeding #Biomechanics #Technology

In only 3-5 million years (a short time on the geological scale), blue whales evolved from dolphin-sized ancestors. Scientists think their size and filter-feeding mechanism evolved to help them take advantage of changes that were happening in the oceans. These researchers are using advanced sensor tech to help them understand how blue whales engulf their prey.

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[emrazum]

The first time I saw a whale, my mind couldn't comprehend how big it was. Insane creatures.

[sussekind]

4:54 - Looks like an underwater, whale rollercoaster!
But seriously, the video I would really love to see, and I know it would be very difficult to pull off safely (lighting would probably be the biggest hurdle to overcome), is the point of view of the prey animal. Imagine, being able to see that massive jaw close from the inside and as the tongue pushes up and forward, straining out the massive amounts of sea water, leaving the prey squirming and flopping futilely, as they meet their doom.
This alternate view of the whale's lunge feeding technique, would be fascinating, to say the very least.

[oliviapinter]

Awe that whale on camera is so cute doing his little ups and downs and taking a breath & swimming around <3

[vision]

This is incredible science is truly so deep and complex!

[oogalook]

That was really darn cool. Seeing the researchers looking at the raw data from the tracker is totally new to me, and it makes so much sense. Clever science!

[gyozakeynsianism]

Whale cam? Amazing. I got a real Dune vibe there.

[hassocks]

For me one of the questions is. How does the whale know where the Krill blooms are when it’s preparing to feed?

[Technodreamer]

I'm going to think about this video every time I visit the Hall of Ocean Life and see Big Blue.

[HarrySharry]

1:20 at first I thought that was a submarine not a whale XD they are truly massive!

[Lizzie-zzy]

I love it so much and right now I have a book of these whales

[ellisd]

Very cool! Do they always rotate on their side to eat, no matter where they are in the water column?

[JuliaPelio]

wow this is truly incredible. so can we do the same thing with sperm whales?

[daxbertumen]

what about toothed whales? how to they get rid of the water that they swallowed during feeding?

[deirdrereynolds]

Why aren’t whales still evolving? Could it have been an event moment in creation when they appeared? 🐋 🤓

[ToxicVaccines_HivHoax]

Where does that whater come out from during filtering?? 🤷‍♂️