2013 06-13 SB Channel
The final talley:
11 humpback whales with many more in the vicinity
3,000+ common dolphins
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Looking down inside the open mouth of a surface lunge feeding humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). The roof of the mouth with its pink soft palate is visible, flanked on both sides by the bushy baleen plates. The open lower jaw it toward the bottom right, and the grooves in the ventral blubber have expanded as the entire voluminous internal cavity is filled with water and a school of anchovies. The whale is leaning on its right side.
A surface lunge feeding humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is seen from below the "chin." The grooves in the ventral blubbler are distended and expanded. The whale is also spouting. A common dolphin (Delphinus capensis) and a sooty shearwater (Puffinus griseus.) are also seen in the picture. There are numerous stalked barnacles growing attached to the ventral surface.
MegapteranovaeangliaesurfacelungefeedingDelphinus2013Channel067
Another, closer shot looking down inside the open mouth of a surface lunge feeding humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). The roof of the mouth is to the left, flanked by the bushy baleen plates. The open lower jaw it toward the right. The whale is leaning on its right side.
Image 1 of 2: A lunge feeding humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) rises up in the midst of an oceanic "hot spot." Gulls, shearwaters and dolphins were involved in a feeding frenzy preying upon a large, tightly packed school of anchovies. Attracted by the commotion, the whale has seized the opportunity to gorge itself. Two of the nearshore oil platforms can be seen in the back.
Image 2 of 2: A lunge feeding humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) rises up in the midst of an oceanic "hot spot." Gulls, shearwaters and dolphins were involved in a feeding frenzy preying upon a large, tightly packed school of anchovies. Attracted by the commotion, the whale has seized the opportunity to gorge itself.
Looking down inside the open mouth of a surface lunge feeding humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). The roof of the mouth with its pink soft palate is visible, flanked on both sides by the bushy baleen plates. The open lower jaw it toward the bottom right, and the grooves in the ventral blubber have expanded as the entire voluminous internal cavity is filled with water and a school of anchovies. The whale is leaning on its right side.
