Yes, whales can jump, and some species can even perform several areal stunts.
Various species of cetacea (cetaceans include whales, dolphins, and porpoises) are known for their acrobatic maneuvers and exceptional gravity-defying feats, such as leaping several stories into the air, flipping, breaching the water, and bow riding.
Although some more giant whales can breach the water, jumping is more commonly found among the smaller-toothed whale species as their smaller size and lighter body make it easier for them to leap out of the water and at much greater distances.
One of the many different acrobatic feats commonly seen among the larger baleen whale species is breaching, which is somewhat similar to jumping but requires less of the body to be exposed above the water’s surface.
Breaching occurs when a whale rises to the surface and lifts at least 40% of its body out of the water.
At first, breaching may not seem all that amazing.
Still, you can see how impressive this ability is when you realize that some marine mammals weigh over 150 tons (300,000 lbs.) and can continually breach the water for several hours.
Although breaching requires the whale to lift 40% of its body out of the water, some baleen whales can expose as much as 90% above the surface before reestablishing contact with the water.
Surprisingly these breaches only take up a small amount of the whale’s energy (less than 0.100%).
Nonetheless, many breaches over a short period can eventually tire the whale out.
As you might expect, when the whale makes contact with the water, it makes a loud thud and crashes that can be heard from a great distance.
This loud noise can also be heard underwater and is believed to play a role in communication by allowing whales both at the surface and below the water to see and hear the whale breaching.
While the exact reasons for breaching are unknown, it is assumed that breaching may be a way to signal a warning to other whales about possible threats and can also be used during mating periods by males to show their physical abilities in an attempt to attract a female.
The term whale may be used as a blanket term to refer to dolphins and porpoises as these marine mammals belong to the toothed whale family. However, in most cases, this term is not used to prevent confusion among the various marine mammals.
What About Big Areal Jumps?
As stated earlier, some toothed whale species are known to perform big areal jumps and leaps.
This is most commonly seen among the dolphin species, as dolphins are part of the toothed whale family and are well-known for their ability to jump, leap and flip out of the water.
Some dolphins can jump more than 25 ft. into the air!
To make such a big jump, dolphins quickly pick up speed under the water and lift their bodies vertically toward the surface to propel themselves out of the water.
Depending on the species, some dolphins can speed more than 25 mph for short bursts to predators, capture food, or leap out of the water.
Some dolphins are known for their elegant jumps, where they silently leap into the air and dive back into the water at an angle that barely creates noise or disturbances.
Due to their small size, dolphins are ideal marine mammals for performing acrobatic feats and stunts.
Dolphins have even been trained at marine parks and live aquatic shows to perform their various acrobatic jumps and by the military to help them locate missing people and find underwater mines.
What Other Acrobatic Stunts do Whales Perform?
In addition to breaching and jumping, toothed whales are also known to perform a series of short jumps, flips, belly flops, and bow ride waves.
Short jumps are sometimes performed as a group activity.
In large pods, dolphins can frequently be seen leaping in and out of the water as they travel through the ocean.
These repetitive leaps can be seen as a form of play or communication, allowing the dolphins to show off their leaping abilities to one another.
Flipping and belly-flopping are pretty self-explanatory.
A dolphin will generate speed under the water, then jump into the air and perform a series of flips or belly flops while in the air before landing back in the water.
Bow riding typically involves a dolphin chasing a wave and riding it as long as possible.
These marine mammals may bow-ride waves created by the ocean, boats, or other marine mammals and tend to do it simply for the pleasure of riding the waves.
Aside from these forms of areal acrobatics, whales communicate by slapping their fins and flukes against the water to create noise and attract the attention of other marine mammals.
These noises may be used to warm other pod members, as a form of play, or to inform the group about something important.
The cetacean family comprises all whale, dolphin, and porpoise species.
Do all Cetaceans Jump?
In addition to whales and dolphins, porpoises also fit into the toothed whale suborder. However, they tend to be less acrobatic than some whale and dolphin species and are less likely to perform breaches, jumps, and other acrobatic stunts.
It is also important to note that not all whale species are known for performing acrobatic maneuvers.
Some whales prefer to live a very inactive, passive, and docile lifestyle and are more likely to shy away from people or log around the ocean’s surface than perform breaches, jumps, flips, and areal performances.
While dolphins may be found at marine parks performing flips and various acrobatic stunts, whales are way too large for aquariums, so the closest people will get to see large whales perform areal actions is to participate in a local whale-watching tour.
Areal Jumps and Communication
In terms of communication, jumping is one of the many ways that whales communicate with each other.
Jumping can be used as a form of play to maintain a good awareness of their environment and show their youthfulness and health when trying to attract a mating partner.
Whales are also known to communicate by spy hopping, charging at one another, lobtailing, and vocalizing through songs, moans, clicks, and whistles to communicate their intentions to other whales.
By combining visual gestures such as jumping and breaching with vocal language, whales have developed a very effective and sophisticated system for communicating various interests to one another.