worldofwhales:

land-s-end:

Huge and small

A whale of a mouthful

by author, explorer and conservation photographer Michael AW.

An imposing Bryde’s whale rips through a mass of sardines, gulping hundreds in a single pass. Photographing this feeding frenzy was a real challenge for Michael. Already knocked clean out of the water by whales on two occasions, he just managed to stay out of the way during this encounter. This scene happened during the annual sardine run, when billions of sardines migrate along South Africa’s Wild Coast, attracting predators such as gannets, dolphins and sharks along the way. Bryde’s whales are among them. This species tends to exploit the activities of other predators, swimming through and engulfing the fish they have herded.

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