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[EN VIDÉO] The enigmatic and sublime song of whales As singers and acrobats, the males sing long, melodic and complex songs and perform…
It was a strange series of bubbles that caught the eye of photographer Piet van den Bemd as he used a drone to film the surface of the Southern Ocean. Under the camera, it is actually an amazing spiral that gradually emerges, seemingly rising from the depths. There is something magical about the spectacle, because the shape that materializes on the water surface of Antarctica is a remarkable reproduction of what in mathematics is called a Fibonacci spiral.
This calculation sequence also occurs relatively often in nature. It can be found, for example, in the patterns of certain flowers such as sunflowers or in pine cones.
A Fibonacci spiral in the waters of Antarctica. © Piet van den Bemd, ABC News, YouTube
A prison of bubbles
But where did this spiral in these icy waters come from? It didn’t take long for the photographer to have the answer. A few seconds later, two large humpback whales appeared in the middle of the bubble spiral with their mouths wide open.
Why such behavior? Actually nothing secret. Scientists have long known that humpback whales produce circular or spiral bubbles to trap the fish and krill they feed on. Once their prey is captured by these bubble walls, the whales return to the center of the spiral and devour everything in their path.
Aerial footage of humpback whales feeding in the “bubble net” in Antarctica. © Richard Sidey, YouTube
A complex behavior that requires intensive cooperation between different individuals and is apparently “taught” to young people.
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