Some species of whale are very acrobatic and can perform many different amazing feats.
One of the things they can do is known as breaching which is very similar to jumping.
Breaching occurs when a whale lifts at least 40% of its body out of the water.
Some whale are able to expose as much as 90% of their bodies above the water before they reestablish contact with the water.
However due to the large mass many species of whale can find it very difficult to make a full leap 100% out of the water.
Surprisingly though these breaches only take up a small amount of the whales energy (less than 0.100%) but a large amount of breaches over a short period of time can eventually tire the whale out.
Not all species of whale are known for such acrobatic manuevers.
Some whales prefer to live a very inactive, sedentary and docile lifestyle, and are more likely to shy away from people or log around the ocean’s surface than to perform breaches, spyhops and lunges.
Dolphins also belong to the same cetacean family as whales and are well-known for their jumps and flips out of the water.
Some dolphins are capable of jumping more than 20 ft high!
Because of their small size they are ideal for performing at marine parks and live aquatic shows.
Unfortunately whales are much too large for aquariums so the closest people will get to seeing whales jump is to look for hosted whale watching tours.
Whale watching is the act of watching whales live in their natural habitat often at a distance so that the whales aren’t disturbed.
Whale Facts: Jumping is only one way that whales communicate with each other. Whales are also known to spyhop, charge one another, vocalize through songs, moans, clicks and whistles and lob-tailing among other things.
