What Do Whales Eat? | Diet, Eating Habits and Hunting Methods

Regarding survival, few things are as important to marine mammals as shelter, rest, and food.

For marine mammals such as whales, food is essential for their survival.

It’s also crucial for maintaining balance in the ocean’s ecosystem.

These marine mammals search and hunt for prey using various techniques.

Their excellent hunting methods enable them to locate, isolate, and immobilize their prey for easy consumption.

Because there are around 90 different animals within the cetacean family, it is essential to understand that not all whales hunt or attack their prey similarly.

Their diets can change drastically depending on the whale’s size, social structure, environment, species, and type (baleen or toothed).

For instance, some whales hunt small aquatic life forms like fish, shrimp, larvae, plankton, crabs, krill, and squid.

Others hunt large marine mammals like sea lions, walruses, seals, sharks, seabirds, and even large whales.

Nevertheless, a sub-set of killer whales hunts large marine mammals while most other whales and dolphins do not.

Baleen Whale Hunting Methods and Diet

Baleen whales hunt for food using a variety of techniques.

One common technique these marine mammals use is filter feeding, in which these large animals swim around with their mouths open and filter food through their baleen bristles (which often resemble the teeth found on a comb).

The baleen bristles act like filters by allowing water to escape while being packed tightly to prevent their prey from getting out.

Depending on the species, baleen whales may use several other hunting methods to capture their prey.

One of these methods may include simply swimming towards their prey with their mouth open while capturing their prey in the baleen bristles, then pushing the water out of their mouth with their tongue before swallowing their prey whole.

Aside from swimming through schools of fish or krill, some whales may skim the water’s surface while keeping their mouth open to capture prey at or near the top of the water.

Another method used by baleen whales is to have several whales circle around a group or swarm of fish and blow bubbles around and underneath them to herd them into a ball and push them toward the surface.

Once this is done, the whales can take turns swimming through the helpless swarm and pick off the fish one at a time.

While baleen whales are known for their often solitary behavior when searching for prey, they may hunt for food alone or as a group.

Group hunting often depends on their species and the pod they belong to.

Bottom Feeding and Bubble Netting

Gray whales are unique to the species because they are consistently one of the only whales to eat from the ocean’s bottom.

To obtain food, these whales will swim to the bottom of the ocean and roll on their side, causing the water to lift various sea sediments and prey.

These whales will eat everything from crabs and larvae to plankton and small fish.

Gray whales are enormous and can consume more than 3,000 pounds of food daily.

Some observers state that the gray whale can eat more than 4,500 pounds of food daily.

Humpback whales use a hunting technique unique to any other mammal in their species using a method known as bubble netting or lunge netting.

Bubble or lunge netting takes a group effort, and each whale plays a specific role in capturing the fish.

Some whales swim around the fish (they tend to enjoy eating herring) and blow bubbles, which causes the fish to form a group, while other whales make loud noises scaring the fish and causing them to move toward the surface of the water.

Once the fish move to the surface, they lunge towards the fish with their mouths open and try to eat as many fish as possible.

Toothed Whale Hunting Methods and Diet

Toothed whales are referred to as active hunters because they possess teeth.

Some toothed whales are known to hunt and eat larger forms of prey than their baleen whale relatives.

Most toothed whales will consume a diet consisting of fish, squid, octopus, and various crustaceans.

However, the killer whale (actually a dolphin) is known to hunt and consume various marine mammals, seabirds, and even whales.

While the baleen whale suborder comprises large baleen whales, the toothed whale suborder comprises whales with teeth and all species of dolphin and porpoise.

In addition to possessing teeth, toothed whales are also equipped with echolocation, which helps them identify prey in dark waters where light is limited or nonexistent.

When it comes to hunting methods, the strategies these marine mammals use vary depending on the species.

The orca (killer whale) is known for hunting in groups.

These marine mammals are often called “the wolves of the sea” because they resemble a pack of hungry wolves when they hunt for food.

Killer whales eat many foods, such as fish, squid, sea lions, walruses, seals, sharks, and even large whales.

Moreover, they are considered at the top of the aquatic food chain since they have no natural predators.

They are also highly social and travel in groups known as pods.

Orca is known for maintaining strong family ties and can spend their entire lives together, rarely separating from one another except when they mate and forage for food.

The sperm whale (the largest of the toothed whales) typically prefers a diet containing octopus, giant squid, and some fish.

These whales can dive over 3,000 feet underwater and remain submerged for over an hour when hunting for prey.

It is estimated that sperm whales eat more than 220 billion pounds of squid yearly.

Circular marks can be found on and around the whale’s head from confrontations with octopus and squid latching on to its head in an attempt to keep from being eaten.

Compared to the orca (which is very socially structured), sperm whales live solitary lives, often leaving pods to travel alone or move to other small pods.

Unfortunately, not much information is known about how sperm whales hunt for squid due to the sperm whales’ deep-diving excursions, making it difficult for scientists and marine biologists to study their hunting methods effectively.

As with baleen whales, the toothed whale species may hunt for food alone or in groups; however, toothed whales are more likely to hunt in groups because of their social bonds and, in some cases, smaller sizes.

Dolphins are often an excellent example of toothed whales that hunt together.

Numerous dolphin species may be found hunting for food in layers as they swim through the water picking off potential prey.

Swimming in layers can prevent some of their prey from swimming up or down to avoid being attacked.

Dolphins and other toothed whales may also use echolocation to coordinate attacks and hunting strategies.

Using echolocation, they identify their prey and see where other pod members are in the water to adjust their attacks and maximize their success rates.

Here is a list containing some of the most common founds consumed by baleen and toothed whales.

Echolocation and Hunting

Echolocation is one of the whale’s most valuable abilities when hunting for food.

This extraordinary hunting and location-mapping strategy is a trait in all toothed whales.

Echolocation works by emitting a series of clicking and busing noises.

Whales then listen to the echoes that bounce off objects in the area (such as fish or other aquatic life forms).

The time the echo takes to return to the whale can provide these marine mammals with vital information.

For instance, it helps whales determine how far the object is, its density, whether hard or soft, and if it’s moving or still.

Understanding these factors helps whales determine whether the object is prey, a predator, or an inanimate object.

These remarkable marine mammals will continue to create these sounds until they find their prey.

After that, they’ll decide the best hunting method and attack their target.

In addition to helping toothed whales find food, echolocation is also helpful in navigating the ocean in dark environments.

Echolocation creates a map of the environment, which help whale determine the location of various objects.

As a result, they can travel throughout the water while avoiding collision with walls or other solid objects.

Since echolocation relies on sound, these marine mammals do not have to use their eyes when traveling or searching for prey.

This ability is a particularly beneficial skill when diving in waters void of any light.

Echolocation can be considered a highly advanced version of sonar.

It displays where objects are to the host and provides detailed information about the area three-dimensionally.

Conclusion

Depending on the species, the type of foods a whale consumes can vary from small krill to giant squid.

Besides eating different foods, whales’ hunting methods to capture their prey can also vary from one species/pod to the next.

Location, climate, marine life, social structure, and the whale species all play a role in what types of foods these marine mammals consume.

Some species are equipped with echolocation, which allows them to measure the distance, location, density, and types of food they are hunting and being used to help them navigate the ocean.

Some whales hunt in large cooperative groups to isolate and trap their prey, while others are solitary animals that hunt their prey alone or in small pods.

Whales that belong to the baleen whale suborder tend to hunt for food by filtering their prey from the water, while toothed whales either chew their food to break it apart or swallow their prey whole.

Additional Resources:

• Do Whales Eat People?
• Do Whales Eat Sharks?
• Where do Whales Live?
• Do Blue Whales Eat People?