Blue Whale Lunge Feeding Near the Surface (IMAGE) University of California - Santa Cruz Caption An aerial view of a blue whale lunge feeding near the surface with fully expanded throat pleats. Blue whales demonstrate both individual and population level lateralized behavior in their feeding. While the majority of animals display a right-side preference for rolling behavior during feeding, for more acrobatic feeding behaviors targeting smaller prey patches from below, blue whales roll to the left side. Researchers posit that the specialization of lateralized feeding strategies may enhance foraging efficiency in environments with heterogeneous prey distributions. (Chilean research permit MERI-488-FEB-2015) Credit Photograph courtesy of John Durban (NOAA) and Michael Moore (WHOI) Usage Restrictions For use only with news coverage of this research paper License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.