Snapping Shrimp 'Dinner Bell' May Tell Gray Whales When to Eat
The racket created by snapping shrimp could be one of the factors drawing eastern Pacific gray whales to the waters off the Oregon coast.
Do you ever wish you could just snap your fingers and have dinner ready? Well, that dream is kind of a reality for one species of whale.
Together, this crustacean ruckus is like a very loud rainstorm. If a large enough number of shrimp is congregated, the snapping can even sound like a passenger jet zooming overhead.
For the first time, scientists from Oregon State University have captured this snapping sound in the rocky reefs off the cool coast of Oregon. And they're saying this ultra-loud clacking might be acting as a sort of "dinner bell" for nearby eastern Pacific gray whales, letting them know when to come and chow down on their next meal. They presented their research February