What Do Humpback Whales Eat? Here Is Everything You Need To Know

Do you ever wonder what the biggest mammals in the world eat to sustain themselves?

Sheer size is not the only significant thing about the humpback whale. Humpback whales consume enormous quantities of food every day.

These graceful beings are known for being the tuneful virtuosos of the deep blue sea. Humpback whales sing some of the longest songs in the animal kingdom that last for about 10-20 minutes. Their soulful display of jumping out of the water is the highlight of the whale-watching tours.

Humpback whales belong to the species of baleen whales and not the toothed whales. Have you ever wondered if a whale can swallow a human?

You are not alone! In this article, we will answer such interesting questions and have a closer look at the humpback whale’s diet. We will also try to understand the interesting methods they use to feed during marine life.

After reading about the feeding habits of baleen whales, also check why do whales breach and why do whales explode?

Do humpback whales eat lobster?

Humpback whales do not eat lobster. Out of all the crustaceans, they prefer to eat krill. Krill makes up 50 % of this baleen whale’s diet. Humpback whales will eat up to 5,511 lb (2499.7 kg) of krill per day.

Krill is a small, pinkish, translucent, 2 in ( 5.08 cm ) long crustacean closely related to shrimp. They are not even vertebrates.

The main difference between their better-known shrimp cousins is that krill are pelagic animals. This means that they live in the water column and are not close to the seafloor. Krill is also a favorite of minke whales, fin whales, Bryde’s whales, and blue whales.

What do humpback whales like to eat?

The humpback whale is regarded as the largest marine animal to roam around the waters on Earth. Like other whales, the prey of humpback whales is tiny in comparison to their own bulking mass.

These baleen whales like to feast on plankton, other crustaceans like krill, and other small schooling fish. They have baleen plates that assist them in the feeding process. Within the baleen family, the humpback whales are the most diverse eaters. The biggest thing that a humpback whale can eat and swallow is the giant squid.

This can be attributed to their humongous diet. These whales consume several small prey such as haddock, squid, krill, mackerel, herring, pollock, capelin, salmon, and other small fish species.

While feeding, these whale species gulp vast mouthfuls of their prey and seawater. They then use their baleen plates which act as a sieve to filter out the enormous ocean water. The baleen plates are made of Keratin and form skinny, rigid plates.

These plates hang down the whale’s top jaw, and their ends are frayed to assist in filtering. Humpback whales, like other baleen whales, feed seasonally.

During the summers, these baleen whales can be found in the Northern Pacific Ocean, in their feeding grounds in the waters of British Columbia, Alaska, and eastern Russia. As the weather gets warmer, humpback whales spend the majority of their time feeding. They build up fat stores, which are also known as blubber, to sustain them throughout the winter.

Then these whales head south and migrate to tropical waters. These warmer waters are their breeding grounds where they give birth, fast, and live off their fat reserves.

In contrast to the adult humpback whales, baby humpback whales like to start their feeding journey with their mother’s milk. The milk is full of essential nutrients that facilitate the baby whale’s growth and sustain the baby whales till they are old enough to hunt themselves.

What kind of fish do humpback whales eat?

The way humpback whales hunt depends on their location in the ocean and the prey that is in reach. They prefer feeding on herring, mackerel, capelin, Euphausia Superba, copepods, and several others.

In some areas, humpback whales use a bubble net feeding method. It is a group hunting method that involves several dozens of humpback whales.

In this method, the whale group is known as ‘The Herders’ circle a big fish school and trap them. Other humpbacks then start blowing bubbles to bring the fish closer together and further shrink the herd, essentially forcing them into a tight group.

These deep-diving humpback whales called ‘The Caller’ stay at the base of the net and point a sound rocket of 180 dB into the water, causing the fish to panic and, in an attempt to escape the noise, swim upwards.

Once this is done, and the fish are herded, the humpback whales take turns feeding on as many fish as they can with the help of the famous filter feeding technique.

The baleen plates they use for feeding are big enough to allow water to pass through but at the same time are small enough to keep fish from escaping.

What kind of food do humpback whales eat?

Like most baleen whale species, humpback whales feed only on a seasonal basis. They are pure carnivores who feed on a wide range of fish species.

Being carnivores, their diet features small prey such as squid, krill, herring, pollock, haddock, mackerel, capelin, salmon, and many fish species.

Can humpback whales eat humans?

No! A whale cannot swallow a human. It is because the esophagus of a humpback whale is very small and therefore cannot swallow large prey. If a larger animal makes it into a humpback whale’s mouth, it can become food only if the whale can take it into its esophagus.

When humpback whales suck in this much water along with their food, sometimes the pressure is enough to suck in nearby snorkeling human beings as well, although it is rare. Minke whales hunt in groups, and humans should avoid that area where there might be the risk of whales being present.

If a human ends up in the humpback whale’s mouth, it would be too big to fit inside the esophagus of a whale.

The whale would simply spit it back in the ocean. Michael Packard was a diver who claimed that he managed to emerge unscathed after being swallowed by a humpback whale. The claims have not been verified yet.

The width of a humpback’s mouth can extend up to 10 ft (3 m), which is large enough for it to ingest a human. But as the size of the esophagus is relatively small, it is impossible to eat a human.

The size of the throat of a humpback whale can extend to around 15 in (38.1 cm) to gulp down bigger prey.

How much do humpback whales eat a day?

These enormous cetaceans often reach 20-102 ft (6.1- 31.1 m) in length and can weigh up to 6613-418,878 lb (2999.6-189999.9 kg). These marine mammals will need a lot of food to keep swimming.

To keep up with their diet and survive, humpback whales need to eat vast amounts of prey. Interestingly the amount of food these whales consume daily is much more than what scientists previously thought.

Humpback whales consume three times the amount of food than what was previously estimated. Matthew Savoca, a researcher at Stanford University, quoted that the amount of food the humpbacks consume is somewhere in the range of 20-50 million calories.

He compared the colossal amount of calories to 70-80 thousand macs. An average-sized humpback whale can eat up to 4% of its body weight in the form of plankton, krill, and small fish during the feeding season every day. The humpback whales do not accidentally eat seals or sea lions.

The humpback whales cover large distances daily, and this takes up a lot of their energy. To replenish it, they need to feed at least twice a day. As the humpback uses its baleen to catch its prey, it involuntarily consumes a large volume of food each day.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for what do humpback whales eat, then why not take a look at how do whales drink milk underwater or how do whales sleep?