Whales in Antarctica
In Whales in Antarctica, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes how humpback whales, minke whales, and orcas all arrive in Antarctica to eat massive amounts of krill. Watch humpback whales feed and learn how minke whales’ body shape helps them swim far and fast. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Frozen Planet, a series that shows a fragile world of beauty and hostility, where nature finds a way to survive and thrive in frigid conditions.
Lesson Express
Q: What did you learn about how humpback whales eat?
A: Students may mention that humpback whales eat krill, that they use their baleen to strain the water, or that they eat in teams so that one whale can catch the extra food from the whale in front.
Q: How does the minke whale’s body shape help it swim far and fast?
A: Minke whales have short dorsal fins and pointed heads which helps them swim fast and far.
Q: Why do minke whales need to have speed and endurance?
A: They need to escape other whales.
More Like This
In Why Whale Watching Matters, whale watchers discuss how seeing a whale makes them feel. In the past, whales were hunted for their oil, baleen, flesh, and bones; an estimated 3 million of them were killed. Now that this has stopped, numbers of humpback whales are increasing. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Natural World: Humpback Whales — A Detective Story, a documentary about our relationship with whales and their future alongside us.
In Humpback Whale Anatomy, people discuss their close encounters with whales. Professor Joy Reidenberg discusses what she has learned from dissecting dead whales. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Natural World: Humpback Whales — A Detective Story, a documentary about our relationship with whales and their future alongside us.
In Why Whale Watching Matters, whale watchers discuss how seeing a whale makes them feel. In the past, whales were hunted for their oil, baleen, flesh, and bones; an estimated 3 million of them were killed. Now that this has stopped, numbers of humpback whales are increasing. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Natural World: Humpback Whales — A Detective Story, a documentary about our relationship with whales and their future alongside us.
In Humpback Whale Anatomy, people discuss their close encounters with whales. Professor Joy Reidenberg discusses what she has learned from dissecting dead whales. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Natural World: Humpback Whales — A Detective Story, a documentary about our relationship with whales and their future alongside us.