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Fin whales lunge feeding off the coast of Garraf, Barcelona, Spai...
523 31 2018-4-7
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Aloha,


     The following was posted on MARMAM, the Cetacean Researcher Duscussion Group.
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Dear Colleagues,

We would like to draw your attention to the following new footage and information;

**Fin whales lunge feeding off the coast of Garraf, Barcelona, Spain, 6 April 2018**

The EDMAKTUB research team filmed exceptional images that have never been seen before of two fin whales feeding at the surface in the Mediterranean Sea.  The images were recorded off the coast of Garraf (Catalonia, south of Barcelona, northestern Spain) where numerous whales have been sighted feeding over recent days.

*You can see the video here*:


*Images never seen before*.

This is the first time aerial images have been recorded showing this behaviour on the part of the species (Balaenoptera physalus) in the Mediterranean Sea.  In addition to the extraordinary quality of the images, this video is also of great scientific importance.  It provides valuable information regarding how these animals feed, which will allow us to better understand their diet as well as their feeding behaviour.

It can clearly be seen that the whales repeat the same behaviour up to six times in the video.  The whales turn on their side, and speed up before opening their vast mouths to trap several tons of water inside, which swells their bodies from the jaw to the middle section.  Next, they close their mouths, expelling the water through their baleen plates, filtering out the food which they will then swallow.  Within seconds, the body returns to its usual slender form.

*Large numbers of whales this season*.

All of the images which appear in the two-and-a-half minute video come from the same sequence, which originally lasted some five minutes in total.  As the video begins, a single whale appears, and then later, a second animal rises from deeper waters.  In addition, that day ten individual whales were observed feeding in the same area.

*Scientific results*.

The fin whale is a migratory species which visits the Catalan Coast to feed during the spring months.  Since 2013, the EDMAKTUB Organization has been studying these animals whenever ocean conditions allow its presence through their Fin Whale Project.  

During that time, they have been able to establish that the Balearic Sea is an area where these whales come to feed.  Up to now, it was believed that the animals were simply passing through these waters.  The Fin Whale Project is supported by the Barcelona Zoo Foundation and the Vilanova Sailing Club (Club Nàutic Vilanova).

*More information regarding the findings of the Fin Whale Project can be found in ANNUAL REPORT.  This includes a detailed description of the Project and its results up to 2017:  http://www.edmaktub.org/en/annual-report/

--------------------------------

EDMAKTUB Association


Facebook edmaktub

[url=]edmaktub@edmaktub.com[/url]

[url=]edmaktub@edmaktub.org[/url]

************************************************

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Geebax
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Thank you for that, excellent footage. It very clearly demonstrates the feeding method, but I wonder what they are feeding on, since there are no shoals of small fish to be seen in the water?
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Jeff Millard
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So beautiful!

Jeff
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RedHotPoker
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Must be microscopic or tiny life forms they sift and absorb.



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ALABAMA
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Doesn't get much better than that!
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Hellsgate
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RedHotPoker Posted at 2018-4-7 16:25
Must be microscopic or tiny life forms they sift and absorb.

Its food consists of small schooling fish, squid, and crustaceans including copepods and krill.
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RedHotPoker
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I bet it tastes good, to them... I love fresh fish.

Not so much into sushi though. ;-)


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4WDaus
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Wow thanks for sharing!
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Geebax Posted at 2018-4-7 16:16
Thank you for that, excellent footage. It very clearly demonstrates the feeding method, but I wonder what they are feeding on, since there are no shoals of small fish to be seen in the water?

Aloha Geebax,

     That is what struck me to.  The first lunge looked like something but I was at a loss for the rest.  Some of these small prey that these giants feed on have very translucent bodies, but still, that translucent!  

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Aloha Jeff,

     It really is.  And if you ever get to swim next to one of them (by NOAA permit only, at least in US), it is like a house or a house trailer is gliding by.  It can get quite emotional, mostly feelings that can lead to washing your swimsuit.  But if you take the time to appreciate it, those feelings go away, and can go away quite quickly.  Then it is fun and learning.

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ALABAMA Posted at 2018-4-7 16:36
Doesn't get much better than that!

Aloha ALABAMA,

     Very true.  They are so huge, it puts your life in a better perspective.  Humbling.

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Blériot53
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Thanks for the post, Ken. That was remarkable to watch.
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Hellsgate Posted at 2018-4-7 16:59
Its food consists of small schooling fish, squid, and crustaceans including copepods and krill.

Aloha Hellsgate,

     And whichever ones it was, they were real small!  Notice the first line of the summary, ". . . exceptional images that have never been seen before of two fin whales feeding at the surface in the Mediterranean Sea."

     The two sentences following the video show how our cutting edge technology is being applied for the first time in important ways; "This is the first time aerial images have been recorded showing this behaviour on the part of the species (Balaenoptera physalus) in the Mediterranean Sea.  In addition to the extraordinary quality of the images, this video is also of great scientific importance."  The whole summary reveals how cutting edge this video is.

     If we get a chance to use our new knowledge for these scientific purposes, it is greatly appreciated by scientists.  And these scientists are like sponges, they sop up the new technology and use it reliably and often.  Drones are becoming regular tools in cetacean research.

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Cetacean Posted at 2018-4-7 22:57
Aloha Hellsgate,

     And whichever ones it was, they were real small!  Notice the first line of the summary, ". . . exceptional images that have never been seen before of two fin whales feeding at the surface in the Mediterranean Sea."

I would love to do that kind of work with my drone
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RedHotPoker Posted at 2018-4-7 19:54
I bet it tastes good, to them... I love fresh fish.

Not so much into sushi though. ;-)

Aloha RHP,

     Hard to wrap your mind around how these giants eat the smallest food.  If they taste them, they must have amazing taste buds.  I know their mouth odor is rotten.  Their breath comes from the blowhole.  (I actually caught a "pleasant" breath, or "cold", from a dolphin that blew in my face.)  I have never seen a paper on their tasting abilities and nothing on taste the buds of baleen whales although there are papers on the taste buds of the smaller odontocete cetaceans.

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4WDaus Posted at 2018-4-7 20:59
Wow thanks for sharing!

Aloha Daus,

     Keep an eye out for these "drones in cetacean research" videos and articles.  It is amazing what they can do.  We need to see and show how our cutting edge technology can expand our knowledge of our world.  There are actually courses offered in "drones in cetacean research" now.

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Blériot53 Posted at 2018-4-7 22:45
Thanks for the post, Ken. That was remarkable to watch.

Aloha Roger,

     And just think, you were one of the first few hundreds of humans to actually see that thanks to our drone technology.  This area, the Balearic, turns out to be a feeding area but was never documented.

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Hellsgate Posted at 2018-4-7 23:06
I would love to do that kind of work with my drone

Aloha Hellsgate,

     Hey, you live in Australia.  That is one of the best cetacean research areas in the world.  Find out what cetacean research organizations are near you and offer assistance.  They really appreciate volunteers, especially ones with drones!  BTW, most of the universities, and many colleges, have a cetacean research group in or associated with their zoology department.

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FuZZyPiLOT
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Awesome, great video
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DJI Thor
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What a nice video and introduction. Thank you very much for sharing.
2018-4-8
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Cetacean Posted at 2018-4-7 23:07
Aloha RHP,

     Hard to wrap your mind around how these giants eat the smallest food.  If they taste them, they must have amazing taste buds.  I know their mouth odor is rotten.  Their breath comes from the blowhole.  (I actually caught a "pleasant" breath, or "cold", from a dolphin that blew in my face.)  I have never seen a paper on their tasting abilities and nothing on taste the buds of baleen whales although there are papers on the taste buds of the smaller odontocete cetaceans.

If food didn't taste good, how would they know when it's time to eat? Haha

Or what to order for lunch...

There must be selectable table fare, at different times of day, or select areas for desired delicacies?

It must be nice, to swallow a whole school of fish, at once. Talk about a delicious big gulp. Ha


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RedHotPoker Posted at 2018-4-8 08:34
If food didn't taste good, how would they know when it's time to eat? Haha

Or what to order for lunch...

Aloha RHP,

     You seem to have grasped the issue.  The Balearic Sea turns out to be a feeding area but was never documented.  It appears that the Fin Whales know where to eat.  As they say for a good restaurant, location, location, location!

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Fin whales often outrun pods of Orcas.  They are seriously fast swimmers.  Great video, thanks for the share.  So beautiful.  
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Oracle Miata Posted at 2018-4-8 14:45
Fin whales often outrun pods of Orcas.  They are seriously fast swimmers.  Great video, thanks for the share.  So beautiful.

Aloha Oracle,

     Yes, did you notice that sleek form, and the dorsal fin is way back like a race car - well somehow that makes sense!  When I first saw images of baleen whales, they looked so slow in body form.  Then after studying how early whalers (age of sail) could only hunt slow whales (how Right Whales got their name, they also floated when dead) it was reported that it took modern engines to catch fin whales, only then did I see images of fast Fins and Blues.  To this day imagery and video of these fast whales are not common.  There are reports of Navy ships trying to race Fin and Blue Whales.

     Really sad that such beautiful and amazing beings were hunted so incessantly.

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RedHotPoker
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The Alaskan ice crab fishing boats are getting an early season, by having the ice breakers clear their travels.
The idea is to allow the crab fishing boats to get their quotas, before the whales are traveling through those normal migration routes.

Nice that we are doing our best to save these majestic beasts from more unnecessary deaths from sea travelling vessels, and fishing gear.


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Cetacean Posted at 2018-4-8 14:26
Aloha RHP,

     You seem to have grasped the issue.  The Balearic Sea turns out to be a feeding area but was never documented.  It appears that the Fin Whales know where to eat.  As they say for a good restaurant, location, location, location!

Yes, it makes total sense to me...

Nothing like a great fish meal, to give one great memories. Brain food after all.


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Ken, here's a fine bit of whale trivia for you.
The largest mouth in the world belongs to the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) and can measure 5 m (16 ft) long, 4 m (12 ft) high and 2.5 m (8 ft) wide. Its tongue weighs approximately one ton (900 kg).

Bowheads are mainly found near the Arctic icepack and feed on planktonic organisms consuming about two tons (1,814 kg) of food every day. As a baleen whale, the bowhead has between 325-360 fringed overlapping plates hanging from each side of the upper jaw, where teeth would normally be found. In fact, the bowhead has the longest baleen of any whale. While feeding, the whale opens its mouth and skims through the water. As the water flows through the mouth and through the baleen, the plankton get trapped inside near the tongue and are then swallowed.
image.jpeg


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Great, great footage Ken, yes we are so small against nature.
2018-4-9
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FYI, That picture is a basking shark.
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Oracle Miata Posted at 2018-4-9 05:20
FYI, That picture is a basking shark.

Aloha Oracle Miata,

     You have to forgive him, he is a red hot gambler!

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Oracle Miata Posted at 2018-4-9 05:20
FYI, That picture is a basking shark.

Aloha Oracle Miata,

     You have to forgive him, he is a red hot gambler!  But he is a funny gambler!  And he tries.

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F.KOK Posted at 2018-4-9 05:05
Great, great footage Ken, yes we are so small against nature.

Aloha Francois,

     Fortunately, you live in an area less trampled by man.  We mostly get wet here.  It slows us down but it works.  Mahalo again for the information about Skeleton Bay!  Great video if you can get it!

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