Bubble-net feeding is not only an ingenious method through which whales help each other obtain food. It’s also a visually stunning natural phenomenon! In an awe-inspiring drone video, two humpback whales managed to create a spectacular shape in the water by bubble-net feeding. What’s really special about this footage is the significance of the pattern!
In order to capture their prey through bubble-net feeding, whales use their blowholes to push fish out of the deep water. By swimming in circles around the fish, they’re able to trap them in a forcefield of bubbles. This is how the humpback whales in the video accidentally created a beautiful example of the Fibonacci sequence, the mathematical pattern behind many spirals in nature.
HowStuffWorks describes the Fibonacci sequence as “a series of steadily increasing numbers in which each number (the Fibonacci number) is the sum of the two preceding numbers.” This recurring pattern shows up in everything from plants and flowers to hurricanes and tornadoes!
It’s incredible to see how whales cooperate with each other to corner their prey through bubble-net feeding. In fact, most interactions among whales are pretty neat! Check out this hilarious parenting moment between a mama and her calf.
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
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