findus

The decision to feed or not to feed is most likely dictated by the fact that lunge feeding is an energy-intensive act. As Leigh Torres, an assistant professor at Oregon State University notes on the video, going in for a feeding means the whale has to pump its breaks to eat. After feeding, the whale has to then expend energy getting back up to a good cruising speed. It’s a tough choice to make, but it’s one that whales seem comfortable making in a split-second. To the latter point, the video also shows a whale thinking about taking a bit out of a small-ish krill patch before changing its mind at the last moment.

Cunningham River Inlet, Somerset Island, Nunavut, Canada (2008) by Norbert Rosing, Grafrath, Bavaria, Germany

Each year in July, hundreds of beluga whales congregate to mate and give birth in the mouth of the Cunningham River where warm, fresh water blends with the cold, salty arctic sea. During high tide they swim upstream with their backs barely covered by the shallow water, their stomachs rubbing the small rocks of the riverbed.  “Flying in a Twin Otter aircraft with the door off, I was able to achieve a clear shot of this natural wonder. It was one of the highlights of my career as a professional photographer.”