Humpback whales bubble net feeding, Kenai Fjords National Park, 2012.

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) employ a unique feeding technique called 'bubble net feeding'. The group will swim in a shrinking circle while blowing bubbles below a school of fish. This shrinking column of bubbles surrounds the school and forces them upward. Then, suddenly, the whales swim upward through the net of bubbles, mouths wide open and are able to catch thousands of fish in one gulp! Humpback whales are rorquals, which are the largest group of baleen whales. This group (Cetacea) includes the largest animal that has ever lived, the blue whale. Humpback whales are found in oceans and seas around the world, typically migrating up to 16,000 miles every year. A humpback can easily be identified by its stocky body with an obvious hump and black dorsal coloring. The fluked tail has wavy trailing edges and a unique pattern, which makes individual whales identifiable.