Humpback Whales 'Tick' and 'Tock' to Hunt for Dinner in the Deep Ocean

When it comes to grabbing a quick meal, humpback whales have the ultimate technique. These massive whales navigate the dark waters at the bottom of the sea by "singing" for their supper.

"Humpback whales are known to cooperate with others to corral prey near the surface," said Susan Parks, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Recent studies suggest they may cooperate [with each other], when feeding on bottom prey, as well."

In order to find out exactly how the whales were feeding, the researchers spent a decade monitoring humpback feeding behaviors off of the coast of Massachusetts. Whales were tagged with underwater recording devices to catch the acoustic sounds associated with successful seafloor feeding.

It turns out that whales make a "tick-tock" noise while hunting together at night in deep, pitch-black water. That said, the whales are completely silent when hunting alone. The researchers believe that the whales use sound to flush out sand lance from hiding before scooping them up and eating them.

The researchers also think that the "tick-tock" noise may serve another purpose. It's possible that it could act as a type of "dinner bell" for nearby whales. This could attract more hunters to make it easier to corral prey.

"Hints of behavior suggest that other whales who overhear the sounds are attracted to them and may eavesdrop on other whales hunting for food," said Parks.

The findings reveal a bit more about the behaviors of these whales. More specifically, it shows how these cetaceans manage to hunt within the dark waters of the ocean.

The findings are published in the journal Scientific Reports.

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