Why humpbacks breach

During mating season , some species are known to breach much more often than during their feeding season. This suggests that the males may be breaching to indicate a desire to mate or show off their physical prows and youthfulness, which may help them land a mating partner.

In some instances, whales may appear to breach to look out for nearby predators and alert other whales of possible threats. One common method for keeping an eye on their surroundings is spy-hopping, where the whale lifts itself partially above the water to get a good look at its surroundings. Spy-hopping is less dramatic and exposing than breaching, but it may be an effective method for observing their environment when combined. Although marine biologists have paid recent attention to the endangered species of whales, they have not conducted enough research to know exactly why whales breach.

Breaching occurs when a whale , especially a humpback, flips itself entirely out of the water, twists in midair, and lands loudly on its side. Tourists on whale-watching tours may think the cavorting mammals breach just to create photogenic moments, but it probably has more to do with communication, comfort, defense, or predatory behavior.

One theory hypothesizes that whales breach as an alternative method of communication, instead of their underwater sonar noises. The smack can probably be heard by other whales for a very long distance. In this spectacular display of athletic prowess, the whale will dive beneath the surface for a few seconds or minutes only to surface vertically with great speed.

Often the animal will twist while in mid-air and then come crashing down with thunderous splash. While all whales have the ability to breach, none do it as often as the Humpback Whale.

But while breaching is quite common amongst Humpback Whales it is certainly not something that we see on every whale watching trip. Trying to predict the odds of seeing a whale breach when you go whale watching is difficult. So, to some extent at least, the chances of seeing breaching on a given trip is dependent upon the overall abundance of whales. Another reason that predicting when whales will become active is that there is no time of the year or day that whales are more likely to breach!

You simply need to be in the right place at the right time to see it when it does. Obviously the more time you spend watching whales the better the chances you will see one breach. There are plenty of people who go whale watching many, many times before seeing a whale breach. So it all averages out. The one possible exception to this is that we it seems as if breaching may happen more in rough weather than in calm seas.

In regards as to why humpback whales breach, here are a few different theories: Table of Contents 1 1. Humpback Whales breach to communicate a desire or a need 2 2. Whales breach to let others know about a nearby predator 3 3. Whales breach to observe what goes on around them 6 Join a Tour to see the Humpback Whales 6.

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