Cetacean surfacing behaviour in the context of Odontoceti

The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus Megaptera. Adults range in length from 14–17 m (46–56 ft) and weigh up to 40 metric tons (44 short tons). The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and tubercles on its head. It is known for breaching and other distinctive surface behaviors, making it popular with whale watchers. Males produce a complex song that typically lasts from 4 to 33 minutes.

Found in oceans and seas around the world, humpback whales typically migrate between feeding areas towards the poles and breeding areas near the equator. Their diet consists mostly of krill and small fish, and they usually use bubbles to catch prey. They are polygynandrous breeders, with both sexes having multiple partners. Males will follow females and fight off rivals. Mothers give birth to calves in shallower water. Orcas are the main natural predators of humpback whales. The bodies of humpbacks host barnacles and whale lice.

Bubble-net feeding is a feeding behavior engaged in by humpback whales and Bryde's whales. It is one of the few surface feeding behaviors that humpback whales are known to engage in. This type of feeding can be done alone or in groups with as many as twenty whales participating at once. Whales can also perform a similar method of surface feeding called "lunge feeding".

Humpback whales are migratory and only eat during half of the year. During this feeding season humpback whales actively feed for up to twenty-two hours a day. They do this so they can store enough fat reserves to live through their breeding season when they do not eat at all. Humpback whales typically spend summer months in feeding grounds with cooler waters that they return to every year. They have been documented feeding in areas such as Southeast Alaska and off the coast of Antarctica.

Manta rays are large rays belonging to the genus Mobula (formerly its own genus Manta). Three species are known: M. birostris, the largest at 7 m (23 ft) in width, M. yarae, which reaches 6 m (20 ft), and M. alfredi, the smallest at 5.5 m (18 ft). All three have triangular pectoral fins, horn-shaped cephalic fins and large, forward-facing mouths. They are classified among the Myliobatiformes (stingrays and relatives) and are placed in the family Myliobatidae (eagle rays). They have one of the highest brain-to-body ratio of all fish, and can pass the mirror test.

Mantas are found in warm temperate, subtropical and tropical waters. All three species are pelagic; M. birostris and M. yarae migrate across open oceans, singly or in groups, while M. alfredi tends to be resident and coastal. They are filter feeders and eat large quantities of zooplankton, which they gather with their open mouths as they swim. However, research suggests that the majority of their diet comes from mesopelagic sources. Gestation lasts over a year and mantas give birth to live pups. Mantas may visit cleaning stations for the removal of parasites. Like whales, they breach for unknown reasons.