With their regal and awe-inspiring presence, whales – the marine monarchs of magnificence – have been intriguing us for centuries. From their majestic moves to their haunting vocalizations, these ocean behemoths steer a sense of serenity as they glide through the azure of water.
But what do whales eat? What does nature serve to the whales’ plates that fuel their magnificent stature?
Let’s dive into the realm of Whales’ cuisine, their diverse diets and the mealtime adventures of our majestic ocean pals.
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Whales
Whales, the world’s largest mammals, are fully aquatic, open-ocean placental sea creatures. They spend their entire life in the sea – including feeding, mating, and raising their young. You will be amazed to know that there are almost 40 whale species, inhabiting a variety of environments and marine ecosystems. From polar to tropical waters and from coastal to the deep-sea- you will see these buffet busters feasting on their favourite food and chilling.
These whales can be divided into two categories:
Baleen whales and toothed whales.
- Baleen Whales (mysticetes), better known as whalebone whales, are one of two types of whales. These underwater Leviathans, despite being the biggest marine mammals, don’t have teeth in their mouths. Instead, they have baleen plates- a unique feeding adaptation in these whale species – that set them apart from other whales. There are 14 species of baleen whales, including the blue whale, minke whale, fin whale, humpback whale, and the right whale.
- Toothed Whales (Odontoceti): The toothed whales (odontoceteare) are a clade of cetaceans including porpoises and dolphins. They are the toothed whales constituting 73 species, such as narwhals, beaked whales, beluga whales, etc.
What Do Whales Eat?
Whales are the ultimate foodie of the sea. From small fishes to plankton, their menu is as vast as the sea. For example, Transient Orcas, a type of toothed whale have 22 different types of prey in their menu – from dolphins and sea loins to seals and even other whale species, they eat almost anything they get their hands on!
That said, whales are not blood-thirsty human-eaters. They are completely different from how they are portrayed in the movies. Let’s get into what baleen whales and toothed whales feast on.
These ocean celebrities have adapted a totally different and unique culinary niche.
Baleen Whales’ Diet
- Krill: Blue whales and humpback, two famous baleen whales, primarily stuff their faces with krill – small shrimp-like sea creatures that these two marine mammals feast on.
- Plankton: They happily slurp up plankton, as if every bite of plankton was a five-star banquet. Blue whales munch on phytoplankton and zooplankton.
- Small Fish: When Baleen whales get bored of their regular menu, they, for a change, party on small fishes. However, krill and plankton primarily fuel these gentle giants of the sea.
Toothed Whales’ Diet
Like the shark, some toothed whales, such as beluga whales, dolphins, orcas, etc., are fierce predators of the mighty ocean. With a hearty appetite and a knack for deep-sea dining, these marine gourmands truly know how to enjoy their catch of the day! But what’s on their underwater banquet menu?
- Fish: You can call toothed whales like dolphins, sperm and orcas, the underwater wolves who hunt and fill their plates with various types of fishes.
- Squid: Toothed whales chomp on cephalopods like squid and feast on them in the deep sea.
- Crustaceans: as a testament to their diverse feeding habits, toothed whales eat crustaceans like shrimp and crabs.
How Do Whales Eat?
Baleen Whales: Feeding Techniques and Diet
What makes baleen whales unique is their feeding system. Instead of teeth, they have rows of baleen plates (acts like sieve) in their mouths. They use a range of feeding techniques:
Filter Feeding
Baleen whales are filter feeders meaning they glide through the water with their mouth open and use their baleen plates as filters. As they pass by, small sea creatures like krills and enter the mouth and get captured by the baleen plates. These plates allow water to flow out.
Lunge Feeding
It is another common technique used by larger baleen whales like blue whales and humpback whales. In this hunting technique, baleen whales use their fluke and tail to accelerate toward a cluster of prey, such as krills. In this process, they keep their mouth open wide, (around 90 degree) to filter feed on their prey. Baleen whales expand their throat pleats to engulf a huge volume of water. They then close their mouth, expels the water and swallow the remaining prey in only 20-30 seconds.
Skimming
Some baleen whales, like the right whale, feed by skimming the water surface with their mouth open. In this feeding technique, they filter the prey from the water as they move forward.
Bubble Net Feeding
Bubble net feeding is one of the few surface feeding strategies of whales like Humpback and Bridey’s whales. In this technique, a group of whales colonise and swim in a circular pattern to form a net around small schooling fish by blowing bubbles as they go. This purposely built net around the target perplexes them and makes them fall prey easily. One member from the cluster then takes the charge and goes through the bubble to engulf a large quantity from the trapped prey.
Toothed Whales: Hunting Techniques and Diet
As you know, toothed whales have teeth to munch on their food! They are the ultimate predators in the sea that chomp on and throw parties on their hunts! Let’s go through their hunting techniques.
Active Hunting
Toothed whales are active hunters. They use their knife-sharp teeth to catch and hold on to their prey until they breath their last. Their favourite dishes consist of crustaceans, squid, and small fishes. Toothed whales swallow the whole prey in one go.
Echolocation
Toothed whales like dolphins and sperm whales are the ultimate marine maestros of sound that use echolocation to track and find their prey. In this process, the whales make and emit a series of fast and high-frequency clicks that travel through the water. If a prey is nearby, the sounds hit it and get back to the whale making an echo. The developed sensory system in whales then helps track the location and size of their potential meal. These sonic navigators of the sea never leave their prey. No matter where the prey has hidden – in the darkness or murky water- using echolocation, whales find them! Whales also use this technique for navigation.
Pod Hunting
Some toothed whales like dolphins and killer whales are social marine mammals and love feasting on their hunts in groups. They are the social predators that hunt in pods of 2 to 5 family members. Different whale species have different super-cool techniques to find their tastiest treat! For example, killer whales create sky-high waves to knock a seal off an ice floe into the water, making a super-tasty whale feast with seals. Transient orcas create pods with an adult female whale with her offspring and either wash seals off an ice floe or stealth and steadily swim toward their prey. They surround their prey and when the moment is just perfect, they swoop in for a big attack that the prey cannot escape! – One of the most successful and skilled predators of the ocean, transient whales don’t even make sound or click while gliding toward their prey.
Deep Diving
Some toothed whales have been adapted to withstand high-pressure and low light conditions underneath and hunt their prey. For example, you may see sperm whales go down to 3000 feet underwater and stay there for more than an hour and enjoy a feast on giant squids.
Fun Facts
- Whales are mammals: Whales are marine mammals. In fact, blue whales are the biggest animal ever thriving on the Earth.
- Killer whales are dolphins: Killer whales, better known as orcas, are a type of dolphin. They are actually the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family with the female orca weighing between 3,000 – 4,000 kg.
- Sperm whales have gigantic brains: Do you know that sperm whales have the biggest brain among all living creatures on earth. Their brain weigh five times more than the human brain.
- Usually only male narwhals have a tusk: The narwhal is a toothed whale with no teeth in the mouth. Instead, they have a single long tail-like tooth called tusk. Protruding around two to three meters out of the upper left jaw, tusk is used for a lot of purposes – impressing the female narwhals, breaking through ice or tasting the water around them.
- Humpback whales don’t eat for most of the year: Humpback whales are like the ultimate food storers. They eat a lot in summer and then live off their fat reserves for the rest of the year while they travel to warmer waters. It’s like having a huge picnic and then not needing to eat for a long time!
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