Humpback whales have a unique feeding strategy - they often blow vertical columns of bubbles to hunt their prey, a behaviour called bubble-net feeding.??
A video has now gone viral showing the incredible moment a group of humpback whales form a spiral to hunt for krill.
The amazing aerial footage was captured by conservation and adventure filmmaker, Richard Sidey, whilst documenting a research project in Antarctica, Daily Mail reported.?
Scientists think that the calls of the whales might create an acoustic 'wall of sound' that intimidates the prey into remaining inside the bubble net. With the bubbles they churn up, they have enough?fish and krill inside the torrent, to satiate their appetite.?
Humpback whales grow up to 16 metres (52 feet) in length and weigh approximately 36,000 kg (79,000 lbs).
Despite their intimidating size, humpback whales are harmless to humans.?
Every summer, approximately 3,000 humpback whales in Hawaii migrate around 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometres) north to Alaska, to gorge themselves where food is plentiful. Months later, at summer's end, the sated whales travel back to?waters near?Hawaii,?where the females give birth and nourish their offspring, as per Live Science.?
"Watching the aerial perspective of these patterns appearing on the surface was both moving and exciting.?I filmed the scenes from a small boat nearby with the researchers, who were scientists primarily looking at how humpback whales are adapting to a warmer ocean in Antarctica," Sidey was quoted as saying by Daily Mail.?
"This method of gathering the krill is actually a learned technique, and not all whales can do it, which makes it all the more incredible.?This is one of the most memorable shots and experiences in my wildlife photography career to date without a doubt," he added.?