Surface feeding

Surface feeding is the capture of food at or near the water’s surface. Animals may take floating food, prey at the air–water boundary, or organisms just below it.

Surface tension: Surface tension is the tendency of a liquid surface to resist deformation because of cohesive forces between its molecules. Small insects and other prey can become trapped or supported at the water surface by this force.
Surface-feeding fish: Surface-feeding fish take insects, plankton, or other food at or near the water’s surface. Their body shape and upward-facing mouths often suit feeding at the surface.
Neuston: Neuston are organisms that live on, or immediately beneath, the surface film of water. These organisms form a distinctive prey community for animals feeding at the surface.
Water strider: A water strider is an aquatic insect that moves across the water surface using its long, water-repellent legs. It catches insects trapped on the surface film and detects their movements through surface ripples.
Surface film feeding: Surface film feeding is the collection of food particles or organisms from the thin layer at a water surface. It describes feeding directly from the boundary rather than taking prey below it.
Baleen whale feeding: Baleen whale feeding is the capture of small prey by filtering seawater through baleen plates. Some whales feed near the surface where prey becomes dense or accessible.
Plankton: Plankton are organisms that drift in water and cannot swim effectively against currents. Plankton can accumulate near the surface and become accessible to feeders.
Manta ray: A manta ray is a large filter-feeding ray that swims through seawater with its mouth open to collect plankton. Mantas can feed at the surface when plankton blooms gather there.
Skimming: Skimming is movement across a surface while an animal collects food from or just beneath it. Some birds and aquatic animals keep moving while taking prey from the surface layer.
Seabird foraging: Seabird foraging is the search for and capture of food by birds that depend on marine environments. Many seabirds take prey from the surface or plunge into shallow water to reach it.

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