Humpback Whale Feasts on Schools of Bait Fish

A humpback whale enjoyed quite a meal off Fire Island, New York, this August, feeding on large schools of fish.

Photographer Michael Busch captured this spectacular drone footage and posted it to Vimeo on August 31.

“This type of activity is called lunge-feeding, when the whale dives below the fish and rises quickly out of the water with its mouth open, eating hundreds if not thousands of the bait fish,” he said.

The lunge-feeding method is utilized by rorquals, a type of baleen whale, as noted by American Scientist. Humpback, blue, and fin whales are among the 11 species of rorquals. Credit: Michael Busch via Storyful