Drone catches massive, endangered fin whale feeding off New York coast

A drone flight off Long Island captured a rare look at one of the ocean's largest and hardest-to-spot animals as it fed.

What happened?

The video, shared with Fox Weather, showed an endangered fin whale, the second-largest whale species on Earth, foraging near Hampton Bays, New York.

Shot on Wednesday off Long Island, the footage highlighted the whale's massive body, V-shaped head, and curved dorsal fin. 

Views this close are uncommon both because fin whales are fast, powerful swimmers and because of their endangered status.

According to Fox Weather, drone operator Virginia Fitzgerald spotted the fin whale while watching a humpback whale feed.

The drone stayed with the animal as it repeatedly surfaced and dove in search of food. A pod of dolphins and flocks of seagulls also appeared in the video, suggesting that the area was rich in prey fish.

One segment showed the whale opening its enormous jaws and taking in water and prey likely to be krill, small schooling fish, or squid.

Why does it matter?

The encounter brought an endangered marine species into view in coastal U.S. waters. Drone footage can be especially helpful in cataloging the movements and behaviors of difficult-to-find species like fin whales.

Commercial whaling in the mid-1900s pushed fin whales to the brink of extinction, and 2016 stock assessments estimated that only about 6,800 fin whales remain along the Atlantic coast of the U.S. and Canada.

Vessel strikes are now considered one of the species' main threats. As NOAA Fisheries explained, "Fin whales are probably the most vulnerable species to ship strikes after North Atlantic Right Whales."

Luckily, this animal looks happy and healthy, enjoying its catch of the day. But the threats these whales face still loom large, as more ships enter the waters they inhabit and overfishing increases.

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