It certainly takes a strong animal to jump clear out of the water, especially when that animal weighs 40 tons! Apparently for the first time ever, a magnificent humpback whale has been filmed jumping completely out of the water.
When whales jump out of the water, it’s known as breaching (or leaping and cresting for lesser lunges). Scientists don’t really know why they do this. It seems to happen a lot when the whales are in a group, suggesting that it might be a form of communication. Perhaps the whale is indicating to the others that it’s so fit and healthy it can spend energy jumping out of the water. Other possibilities are that they do it to get some air above sea spray, or to stun prey, or even to knock parasites off their bodies. Finally, it may be they’re just engaging in play. Whales are very brainy mammals, after all.
A group of scuba divers were off the coast of South Africa during the annual “sardine run.” They weren’t really interested in the little fish. What they really hoped to see were the animals that eat them, especially dolphins and porpoises. They had no luck with the sardine eaters, but they got a huge consolation prize. They found themselves surrounded by a whole group of humpback whales. They filmed the whales as they frolicked and yes, there was plenty of breaching. That’s when they caught the rare sight of a huge humpback whale leaping entirely out of the water!
We’ve posted the breathtaking video below. It’s a truly awesome sight when an animal this gigantic literally throws itself into the air.
Were you impressed by 40 tons of whale leaping clear out of the water? Are you concerned about the future of these amazing animals? Let us know in the comments at Facebook. Don’t forget to like and share!