The Best Whale Moments Captured on Film | Top 5 | BBC Earth

a 6-ton orcas slaps its tail awesome destructive under the water tail slaps are used to stun the herring some fish come too quickly and escape back to the safety of the shore but most are picked off by the orcas one by one soon water glitters with fish scales as the orcas methodically consumed the ball of fish by breaking up the herring into a smaller show the orcas have done the humpbacks a favor turning the usual relationship between the animals on its head [Music] everywhere else on earth orcas or the humpbacks biggest enemy but here the humpbacks cashier on the colossal fish supper [Music] [Music] on the humpbacks aren't the only ones to gatecrash the August party massive fin whales that swallow three thousand herring in a single gulp [Music] [Music] deadly enemies feed side-by-side a unique scene only possible here because of the warmth of the Gulf Stream on the end of this poll is a highly directional microphone and put that into the water we should be able to hear the sperm whale Andrew Armour has worked with whales for over 20 years he can pick out the faintest of cause their course can travel over 30 miles and there are several distinct types I do hear it now have they pointed out this kind of call is known as coda and sperm whales use it for communication so this is almost certainly a group [Music] this is my chance to get up close to these Giants okay get it now get it now I've joined a baby and an adult female female sperm whales live in family groups up to 20 strong the rest of this part could well be hunting far the Loess youngsters can't dive deep so this babysitter has stayed at the surface it could be mum an aunt or even grandma she's playing with me mirroring my movements [Music] as she dives she swings past my cameraman that tail has the force to power a giant it could easily kill a human yet she takes care not to hit either of us it's a remarkable display of agility [Music] the whales are just as fascinated with me as I am with them it's a far cry from the meetings between our species in the days of whaling I am absolutely shaking like a leaf she brought her calf right alongside us span over onto her side so that she was looking directly in my eyes from no more than a couple of metres away and then she Pierrot netted like a ballerina and swept past me but she made so sure that she didn't hit me male humpback whales repeat each other's songs and add to them so they become ever more complex and beautiful showing off their memory as well as sheer volume listening carefully to this song is a female humpback whale she's here with last year's calf and is ready to conceive another one he stopped singing and follows her he may sing to her again but not if he thinks other males are close by they start to get to know each other it's an old-fashioned slow motion once [Music] [Music] such beautiful movement is rarely seen dance in the animal world is little understood [Music] but they're courting ballet is about to be cut short rival males have detected that something is going on they arrive in force a mob on the dance floor set on disruption each male tries to get beside the female and to intimidate the others the 35-ton males are set on a fight animals that can seem so tender in a moment become so aggressive the mating game has become a battle they smash into our they tail slap and Bella most of this is just shown throwing their waiter it's over the biggest male has won the abundance of krill attracts other visitors to the peninsula in the summer Antarctic minke whales their pointed heads and short dorsal fins give them speed and endurance and they need both there are other whales here too killers this is an extended family of mothers and their young and long male with a huge dorsal fin almost 2 meters high [Music] ellone minke whale it's just what this group of killer whales are looking for working as a team as they have done for decades they fan out across the street in search of their quarry [Music] and they found it the minke races away pursued by outriders on each flank [Music] terrified the minke heads from the shore it's so desperate to escape it almost beaches itself it makes a desperate break for freedom [Music] [Applause] [Music] two hours and 20 miles later the minke is still alive and swimming strongly it's only real defense is its endurance but the killer's work as a team with fresh ones replacing the outriders in relays and as the minke tires the battery and the biting begins [Music] [Applause] [Music] seabirds are attracted by the smell of fresh blood rising from the water [Music] The Killers tried to flip the minke over if they can manage to keep its blowhole underwater it will drown one forces that make his whole body down below the surface [Music] and then the final strike the team dragged the minke under for the last time and the hunters finally can field even when more sea lions arrive they can't seem to break down the sardines coordinated defenses [Music] with a shoal this big the sea lions need to isolate a smaller more manageable group of fish [Music] but with so few predators the fish still have the advantage [Music] [Applause] all the sea lions can do is keep the sardines at the surface and wait for others to join them [Music] to none [Music] their arrival changes everything [Music] [Applause] [Music] tuna attacked from below cutting off the sardines escape route down to deeper water [Applause] [Music] next to appear shearwaters excellent fliers but also surprising the agile underwater with so many predators attacking from all sides the advantage starts to shift away from the sardines [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] as the fish pack ever tighter they're showing strategy now makes it easier for the hunters [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Papa sharks they've scented blood in the water [Music] surprisingly perhaps the Predators never attack one another they work together to corral the ball of fish taking turns to grab a mouthful [Applause] [Applause] common dolphins as the show gets ever smaller each sardine scrambles desperately to hide in the middle but now there's no escape [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] a Buddhist whale finishes off the feast tons of sardines devoured in less than an hour

Channel: BBC Earth

Views: 3,185,566

Keywords: bbc documentary, bbc, bbcearth, bbc earth, whale videos, whales, killer whale, orca, killer whale hunt, humpback whale, sperm whale, how many whale species, bbc earth whales, whale documentary, killer whales attack minke, whales and orcas feed, whales dance

Id: EvtMTV9mMSc

Length: 18min 49sec (1129 seconds)

Published: Sat Apr 04 2020