The largest animal in the world nimbly as a ballerina when it is hungry. Video cameras and motion sensors, mounted on 22 blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus), showed that they sometimes go on underwater pirouettes, that is turned by 360 to pounce on krill from the bottom.

The 30-second movement - two and a half times, which cover production from both parties are committed to Keith put his mouth in the most favorable position and took as much food, preventing the dispersion of krill, says the study's lead author Jeremy Goldregen of Cascadia Research Collective (USA). According to him, this underwater option hunting from ambush.

Who else knows how to spin 360? For example, spinner have (Stenella longirostris) spins in the air, shaking, believed to be stuck to it parasites. In addition, alligators, seizing prey, turn over, to kill and dismember a sacrifice. But no one, and had no idea that such pirouettes able to become such a huge animal, especially as the blue whale has a relatively small fins and tail. Related whales (for example, humpback), too rotate during feeding, but only 90.



Biologist Frank fish from the University of West Chester (US) notes that video helps to understand how he could do. The fact that the majority of blue whales are distributed along a longitudinal axis, so he doesn't need large fins for such a manoeuvre.

Mr., Goldregen draws our attention to the fact that only 10% of attacks complete trafficking. Apparently, this tactic is only used when attacking a small and dense clusters of food.

The study is published in the journal Biology Letters.

Based on the materials of Nature News.