This one doesn’t require much introduction. A photographer from Spain, named Eduardo Acevedo Fernandez, through some patience and luck was able to take some excellent close-up photos of a Bryde’s (pron. brood-us) whale feeding on sardines. (The front of the whale is on the left side of the photos) The throat pleats are completely extended, allowing the animal to engulf an amount of water and food equivalent to its own body volume. The water then got forced by the throat muscles through the 700-800 baleen plates hanging from its upper jaw, filtering out the sardines and sending the water back into the ocean. The whale then swallowed these small but numerous prey items. Enjoy the photos. They are very high quality.
Bryde’s whale postcard, by Jean Vaughan. Produced for International Whaling Commission, 1960-1990. From Whaling Museum Kendall Collection.
