Story highlights Researchers and members of the public spot massive groups of humpback whales

Whale experts say this is a new behavior pattern

(CNN) Humpback whales are suddenly hanging out in massive, densely packed "super groups" and scientists are trying to figure out why.

It's a curious phenomenon that's been spotted off the coast of South Africa by researchers and the general public.

Their meet-up spot is far away from where humpback whales usually summer in the Antarctic. The groups swell from 20 to 200 and they are focused on one thing -- feeding.

A "super group" of humpback whales are spotted west of Crayfish Factory on the west coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.

"When you're in a small boat with 200 humpback whales around you -- they're 14-meter animals -- and you've got whales popping up all around you, it's a really incredible experience," lead researcher Ken Findlay told CNN.

He and his colleagues from South Africa's Department of Environmental Affairs believe that these "super groups" feeding together is a relatively recent behavior, they wrote in PLOS One

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