Whale Feeding — pat morss

Posted on by patmorss

I was also out last week to Stellwagen Bank, on 7 Seas Whale Watch, to see what the excitement was all about.

Our naturalist welcomed back this inshore Humpback mother, who had produced many calves in previous years.
It was encouraging to see a number of mothers on Stellagen swimming with their youngsters.
Bubble-net feeding was the highlight. Exhaled bubbles from the whale float krill and small fish to the surface.
The whale surfaces through the prey with an open mouth, harboring dinner in its tremandous lower jaw.
The gulls are quick to congregate for their own snacks around the swimming pool.
The whale forces seawater out through a curtain of baleen plates hanging from its upper jaw, trapping its food.
The gulls plead with the whale to open its mouth one more time.
But settling back down in the water, it swallows its catch.
This dinner is over, and the gulls wait for another of the many feeding whales around the horizon to surface.

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Published by patmorss

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