Category Nature Science & Wildlife

The humpback whale is an enormous creature; it is as big as a school bus! It is known both for the howling sounds it makes and the amazing acrobatic abilities.

Humpbacks feed primarily in summer and live off their fat reserves during winter. They use many innovative methods for feeding. One such method is called bubble net feeding.

A group of whales will swim in a shrinking circle blowing bubbles below a school of prey. The shrinking ring of bubbles will encircle the school and confine it in an ever-smaller cylinder. This way, they can swallow thousands of fish in a single gulp.

Mother humpbacks swim close to their young ones, often touching one another with their flippers. Humpbacks roam all over the world and the place where they could be located depends on the time of the year.

The walrus has a unique look with a long tusk and a moustache. It is usually found in the Arctic Circle, basking along with its companions. Though it is extremely sociable and playful, a walrus can be really aggressive during the mating season.

The diet of a walrus usually consists of clams and mussels. It occasionally includes fish and even small seals. It roots along the ocean floor with its tusk and identifies its prey with its whiskers.

The walrus has an iconic tusk which it uses for a variety of reasons. It is used to haul its enormous body out of frigid waters, and to break breathing holes into ice from below. But it is not used to dig up food.

Walruses usually live in large groups numbering up to a hundred and above. They occupy the coasts and margins of ice shelves, where they periodically haul themselves onto beaches and ice floes to rest and bask.

Sea lions are relatives of seals and walruses. They can be distinguished by their external ear flaps, long fore-flippers, short, thick hair, and a big chest and belly. Their strong flippers and streamlined body make them well-adapted to the aquatic way of life.

California sea lions are known for their intelligence, playfulness, and noisy barking. Keeping their playfulness aside, they are skilled hunters – they can hunt continuously for up to 30 hours!

California sea lions are also known to cooperate with other predators like dolphins while hunting large schools of fish. They prey on a wide variety of seafood, mainly squid and fish, and sometimes clam. The fish and squid species they commonly eat include salmon, hake, Pacific whiting, anchovy, herring, rockfish, lamprey, dogfish, and market squid. Depending on how much food is available, they either eat alone or in groups.

California sea lions aren’t normally dangerous to humans, and attacks are uncommon, but they are large and unpredictable wild animals with sharp teeth; so it’s better to maintain a healthy distance!

The leopard seal is named after its black and grey spotted coat. It is also known as sea leopard. Its resemblance with leopards, however does not stop with the appearance. Like leopards, sea leopards too are fierce hunters.

Leopard seals are the most formidable hunters of all the seals. They are the only seals that feed on warm-blooded prey. They have powerful jaws and sharp teeth with which they devour their prey including small fish, squid and other seals. Leopard seals occupy Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters, which give them an opportunity to prey on penguins as well.

The way a leopard seal hunts penguins is interesting. At first, it surveys the entire edges of the ice while remaining submerged. It then waits for the birds to enter the ocean and catches them while they are swimming. It grabs the penguin by its feet and shakes it vigorously until the bird is dead, a cruel death for the penguin indeed.

Bull sharks head-butt their prey before attacking it. They got their name from this tendency. Bull sharks are found in coastal waters all over the world. Unlike many other sharks, bull sharks can survive in fresh water for a surprisingly long time. Occasionally they even migrate to inland lakes.

Bull sharks hunt both during the day and at night. They are fast and agile and they eat anything that comes their way. The list of their prey includes large fish, dolphins and even other sharks.

Bull sharks prefer to occupy shallow coastal waters where they can come in contact with humans. Though humans are not on their menu, they are known to attack humans time and again. This might be out of curiosity. The number of bull sharks is steadily declining as they are hunted heavily for meat, hide and oil.

The tiger shark has a reputation of being a man-eater. It is large, voracious and is only second to the great white shark in attacking people. Also, it is an established scavenger.

The tiger shark has a blunt nose, a long, pointed upper tail lobe and large, saw-edged teeth that are deeply notched along one side. This solitary shark is a nocturnal hunter. It has a sharp sense of sight and smell that aid in hunting. A tiger shark feasts on fish, other sharks, sea turtles, molluscs, seabirds, carrion, and garbage. It is known to swallow coal, tin cans, bones, and clothing. Though considered an apex species, it is sometimes preyed on by killer whales.

The tiger shark gets its name from the dark stripes down its body, which resemble a tiger’s pattern. But these stripes fade as the shark matures. Populations of tiger shark are found in many tropical and temperate waters, especially around the Central Pacific islands.