Humpback Whales Bubble-net Feeding, Douglas Island, Southeast Alaska – Image 2462

Humpback whales only eat little fish and grill and have to eat them whole because they have no teeth. Sometimes whale cooperatively feed. A group of humpbacks sometimes swim upwards circling a school of herring while blowing bubbles out of their blow holes as they circle upwards. This action creates a bubble net around the school of fish keeping the prey concentrated. When the whales have trapped the herring at the surface, they come up through the school with the mouths open gulping down the herring. This photo illustrates the month of August in my 2007 Juneau Alaska calendar and is featured in my summer long show on whales at the State Museum in Juneau which opened on April 29 and runs through October 14. Camera: Nikon F/4, Lens: 80-200mm f/2.8 Nikkor, Film 35mm Velvia slide film-Mark Kelley