What is a Baitball?
Added 2020-04-06 21:07:19 +0000 UTC
What is a Baitball?
Schools of small fish often cruise near the ocean's surface, feeding on plankton and other organic foodstuff. This schooling behavior, sometimes referred to as a baitball, evolved as a means of protection. If a shark or other predator approaches, the group parts in unison - making it difficult for the invader to target a specific fish. As a result, this type of attack often fails.
Group hunting changes the odds. In a baitball feeding frenzy, a hunting party may consist of bottlenose dolphins, silky sharks, yellowfin tuna, rainbow runners, wahoo, marlin, jacks and even booby birds. They work in a cooperative effort to ensure a feast for all. A typical main course features teeming schools of juvenile jacks and chubs.
When a lone predator, usually a shark or dolphin, discovers one of these floating smorgasbords and attacks, a number of events are set into action. Frightened fish elicit a unique odor and other sharks in the area rush to the scene. The fleeing fish then intensify their frantic swimming patterns, alerting even more nearby predators.
Comments
There's a video floating around showing a massive school of fish from above and how the fish clear areas as the sharks swim through it. Interesting stuff.
Kim Rice
2020-04-06 21:14:13 +0000 UTC
