Various Species Interactions
Species Interactions
Barnacles
Barnacles live on the surface of humpback whales (in respective to whales). Barnacles do not harm the whales, they mainly use the whales for mobility to feed. Barnacles eat organisms like plankton and feed by reach out their tongue structures and capture plankton as the whale swims through the sea. This interaction can be defined as commensalism, where only the barnacles benefit from the interaction.
Sharks
Aggressive shark species will often prey on whales. Aggressive sharks include great white shark and the tiger shark. However, the sharks usually target young calves or adults who are sick or under various stresses. Evidence of sharks attacking the whales are the scars that are left behind because of the shark attacks. Sharks will continually bite at the whale until it can no longer swim. Blood that comes out of the whale attracts other sharks to the hunt.
Orca (Killer Whale)
Orcas are the natural predators of the humpback whale. They attack young calves more frequently than the adults. Scars can be seen on the humpback whales fins and tail; Scars of orcas biting into the fin or dragging marks made by the orcas. It is thought that the breeding ground near the coast of Hawaii was selected for the fact that orcas are rarely seen.
Humans
Humans are the main predators of the humpback whale and the main reason they are endangered. Humans hunt and kill whales for commercial use. During the 20th century, it was estimated that 95% of the humpback whale population was hunted and killed. Humans are now trying their best to bring back the population of whales but not all humans feel the same.
Prey
Humpback whales' main diet includes krill, plankton and various small fish like herring or mackerel. Humpback whales are seasonal feeders so they only prey in cold waters. It is estimated that during the feeding seasons, humpback whales intake about 4400 pounds of food per day.