Marine1 biologist David Wiley of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric2 Administration (NOAA) and others report in the latest issue of Behaviour (Volume 148, Nos. 5-6) how humpback whales(座头鲸) in the Gulf3 of Maine catch prey4 with advanced water technology. Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are large baleen5 whales(须鲸) (up to 14 m long) that feed on a small prey in dense6 concentrations, such as krill(磷虾) or herrings(鲱鱼) . Humpbacks whales have large flukes relative to their size providing greater thrust for quick maneuvers7. While other baleen whales feed by swimming rapidly forward, humpbacks are adapted for fine-scale movement to create bubble nets.
Behaviorally, humpback whales capture prey by engaging in complex feeding maneuvers that are often accompanied by the apparently8 directed use of air bubble clouds (the production of single or multiple bursts of seltzer-sized bubbles) to corral or herd9 fish. These whales create bubble nets to corral and contain planktonic10(浮游生物的) prey into a small area so that they can more efficiently11 scoop12 them up in their large filter-feeding mouths. Based on surface observations, these bubble-feeding behaviors appear to vary in nature among both individuals and regions. To learn more about how these whales use bubble nets in feeding David Wiley and colleagues attached digital suction cup(吸盘) tags to whales that recorded depth and orientation13 in 3D, allowing the scientists to recreate three dimensional images of whale swimming behavior and bubble release. The data revealed the release of bubbles while swimming in upward spirals and during a novel behavior called "double-loops" not previously14 known (see figure). Double-loops consist of one upward spiral to corral(捕捉) the prey, a smack15 of the fluke on the ocean surface (known as a "lobtail") then a second upward lunge(刺,跃进) to capture the corralled prey. This sequence of tools and targeting of prey seems as complex as the tool use of apes in the forest. The study also reports that humpback whales work in teams of at least two individuals and are not beyond robbing the prey from the bubble nets set up by others.