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Humpback whale lunge feeding
Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) lunge feeding, showing its distended pleating. During lunging the whale swims vertically upwards with its mouth open, passing through densely populated regions of plankton or fish. The whale then closes its mouth, forcing out the water through its baleen plates before swallowing its catch. The pleats are ventral grooves or furrows that extend down the whale's throat, allowing it to expand during feeding. The humpback whale can grow to 27 tonnes in weight and 15 metres in length, and is found in deep coastal waters in all of the world's oceans. Photographed in the Gulf of California, Mexico.
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