Watch These Humpback Whales Perform A Deadly Song And Dance While Hunting

Watch These Humpback Whales Perform A Deadly Hunting Dance

Humpback whales will literally sing and dance for food.

The whale ballet seen in the video above is actually a complex group hunting technique called "bubble net feeding." According to NOAA's Alaska Fisheries Science Center, it only occurs during certain seasons in waters off southeast Alaska.

During this intricate dance, a pod -- anywhere from four to 20 whales -- will spot a group of herring and dive down to it. One humpback spirals below the herring while blowing rings of bubbles from its blowhole while another produces resonating vocalizations (aka singing). Both actions cause the prey to gather together in tight balls.

As the bubbling air creates a kind of underwater net (hence the term "bubble net") that contains the school, the rest of the group in unison lunge open-mouthed through the bubble barrier and drive the fish to the surface, swallowing them in large amounts.

You'll notice the seabirds waste no time stealing away some of the whales haul.

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