Humpback Whales Page #2

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(birds singing)

Many humpbacks in the North

Pacific Ocean migrate to Alaska.

(squawking and squeaking)

(squawking and bellowing)

(barking)

(birds singing)

Dr. Fred Sharpe has been

studying the behaviors

of humpback whales here

for the past 25 summers.

(boat horn sounds)

Most of the time, humpback

whales in Alaska feed on krill.

These small, shrimp-like

crustaceans thrive here,

in waters enriched by upwelling

currents and glacial nutrients.

The tiny krill

might be harder to catch

if humpback whales had teeth,

but they don't.

About three hours away,

about three hours away.

FRED SHARPE:
Instead of teeth,

humpback whales have baleen.

It's a kind of strainer

that hangs

from the roof of their mouth.

It lets the water through,

but allows them

to trap these tasty morsels,

like the fish and the krill.

(high-pitched bellowing)

When we're trying

to locate big feeding pods,

it's almost like

you're coming home to family.

NARRATOR:

Fred has studied

these particular whales

for so long...

Bubbles! Bubbles!

NARRATOR:

that he can often tell

who's vocalizing

just by listening.

(bellowing, sputtering

and vocalizing)

SHARPE:

We know who is who,

because each of these whales has

a really distinctive tail fluke.

They're kind of like

a fingerprint.

No two are exactly alike.

(camera shutter clicking)

So... I run the prints.

This is Melancholy.

(bellowing)

I've really come to know him

over the past 20 years,

from studying his behaviors

and even sketching him.

I often see Melancholy

with another male,

who we call Vulture.

(high-pitched vocalizing)

Many whales feed individually,

but Melancholy and his crew have

learned a really cool strategy.

They can capture more fish

by working together as a team.

When we hear the feeding calls

and see the whales

group together,

we know we're in

for quite a show.

What happens next is

one of the most incredible

and complex animal behaviors

ever observed.

It's called

"group bubble-net feeding."

The first step is always

the synchronized dive.

Some of the whales dive deep

underneath the school of herring

to drive them up

towards the surface.

With their long

pectoral flippers,

they can outmaneuver

fast-moving prey.

The bubble specialist

blows a stream of bubbles,

forming a spiraling wall of air

that acts like a net to keep

the fish from getting away.

The designated vocalizer begins

to make almost

deafening sounds...

(high-pitched vocalizing)

scaring the fish up

towards the surface.

(high-pitched vocalizing)

(high-pitched vocalizing)

(water gurgling)

Oh, oh, oh-oh-oh,

oh-oh-oh, oh-oh

Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh,

oh-oh-oh

Oh, oh, oh-oh-oh,

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