[imagesource:wonderai]

Extraordinary drone footage taken by photographer Piet van den Bemd in Antarctica shows two humpback whales producing a bubble net in the shape of a perfect Fibonacci spiral.

For those not familiar with whales or geometry, whales use the bubble-net feeding strategy by diving below their target and then using bubbles formed by their blowholes to bring the fish closer to the surface of the water.

According to the National Marine Sanctuary, these whales are “gulp feeders,” which means they will come up to the surface with their jaws wide and gulp down anything that comes their way, even the fish they have trapped with their bubbles.

The Fibonacci spiral on the other hand is a ‘logarithmic spiral whose growth factor is φ’, also known as the golden ratio. In geometry, the golden ratio is a spiral that ‘expands by a factor for every quarter round it takes’. Basically, this means that the spiral will repeat itself perfectly as it grows (think of a mollusc’s shell or even spiral galaxies).

The whales’ behaviour is therefore extremely sophisticated, requiring timing, coordination and communication, demonstrating just how intelligent whales are. Previous research has discovered that the behaviour is learned, meaning that not all humpback whale populations feed this way.

“The Fibonacci spiral shape executed perfectly made it incredible,” van den Bemd told Storyful, adding that it was a moment he’d “absolutely never forget.”

Maybe I should get the whales to help my son with his maths. Grade 4 was already beyond me.

[source:ifls]