Depending on the type of whale you are looking at, they eat a variety of different things. These range from plankton to sharks and krill. For example, Humpback and Beluga whales eat plankton and octopus. Killer whales, on the other hand, eat sharks.
Blue whales eat krill
Besides being the biggest animals on the planet, blue whales eat krill, or zooplankton. These tiny crustaceans, 2-4 inches long, are the primary diet of most marine predators in the Southern Ocean. The hard exoskeleton of krill is transparent in most species, but it eventually erodes.
Blue whales can consume up to four tons of krill in a single day. To do this, the whales engulf the prey with water. They also use a baleen plate to filter the water, which is then pushed out of the mouth.
The bristles of the baleen form a sieve that traps krill. They can also filter water and small plankton. As a result, these whales are known as filter feeders. They take in more food in one mouthful than any other animal.
Humpback whales eat plankton
During the spring and summer, the Humpback whale feeds in the North Atlantic. In the winter, the Humpback whale migrates to the warmer waters of the southern hemisphere.
The humpback whale is part of the baleen whale suborder. These whales use their baleen plates to filter plankton, mollusks, and other small marine organisms. The baleen plates have grooves on the underside that allow the whale’s throat to expand. The whale also has a blowhole, or a hole in the front of its mouth, that allows it to breathe.
The humpback whale eats plankton, krill, crustaceans, and other small fish. The humpback whale can consume a ton of food each day. The amount of plankton a humpback eats will depend on the type of whale.
To help with feeding, the humpback whale forms a bubble-net around its mouth to catch its prey. When the humpback moves out of the water, it makes a swirling, spinning movement to get to the surface. This causes the bubble-net to trap the prey. The humpback then closes its mouth to swallow the trapped krill.
Beluga whales eat octopus, squid, crabs, snails, and fish
Despite their name, Beluga whales are not related to sturgeon, although they are opportunistic feeders and eat a variety of fish, squid, and crustaceans. Their diet depends on the season and location.
While most belugas eat octopuses and squid, some of them also eat crabs and snails. They also eat shrimp, herring, krill, and salmon. These animals are classified as part of the dolphin family, which includes spinner dolphins, Commerson’s dolphins, and pink dolphins.
These animals are aggressive in the wild, but are friendly to humans. They are also opportunistic feeders, which means that they forage on the bottom of the ocean, but will also herd fish into shallower waters. They are sometimes spotted cruising up next to boats, and are even known to return a lost cell phone.
Baleen whales feed opportunistically
Generally huge, baleen whales feed on a variety of organisms in different regions. They are classified into three general feeding styles: bottom feeders, skim feeders, and filter feeders.
The bottom feeders engulf a large amount of food in the mouth. The skim feeders and filter feeders require a flow of water to bring the food near the mouth. The rorqual whales gulp down huge mouthfuls of water and prey.
They have very long baleen plates. These plates are up to eight feet long. The baleen plates are attached to the roof of the whale’s mouth. The fins and flippers are covered with bright white bands. They also have a pink ventral surface.
Right whales are the largest baleen whales, but the minke whale is the smallest. The minke whale is only 8 metres in length. It feeds on a variety of small fish and invertebrates in the northern hemisphere. It is thought that minke whales have more flexible feeding strategies than other baleen whales. They may chase larger, faster swimming fish and eat zooplankton, herring, and cod.
Killer whales eat sharks
During the past 2 million years, killer whales have killed 60ft sharks, or at least driven them to extinction. Those are big numbers, but the sharks aren’t the only species of ocean predators on the hunt.
The great white shark is another successful predator, and one of the few that can actually attack humans. In the last five years, six confirmed human fatalities have been caused by great whites. The great white’s size, speed, and ability to swim through water at 35mph make it a formidable adversary.
Killer whales have no natural predators, and are thus not the first creatures to use sharks as a meal. However, the great white has been known to flee when it sees a killer whale in the water.
The best way to describe killer whales is as intelligent marine mammals. They have the ability to flank and ram other animals. While they usually eat seals and otters, they’ve also been known to eat fish and even dogfish.