whales

Common Whale Behaviors

Breeching

The whales jump high out of the water and then slap the water as they come back down.

Lobtailing

The whales stick their tail out of the water into the air, swing it around, and then slap it on the water's surface. This creates very loud sounds.

Spyhopping

The whale pokes its head out of the water and turns around, perhaps to take a look around.

Whale Sounds & Songs

Complex whales songs can be heard for miles under the water. The humpback's song can last for 30 minutes. Baleen whales sing low-frequency songs; toothed whales emit whistles and clicks that they use for echolocation The songs are thought to be used in attracting mates, to keep track of offspring, and for the toothed whales, to locate prey.

Toothed whales use echolocation to sense objects. In echolocation, a high-pitched sound (usually clicks) is sent out by the whale. The sound bounces off the object and some returns to the whale. The whale interprets this returning echo to determine the object's shape, direction, distance, and texture.

MIGRATION

Many whales migrate over very long distances each year. They travel, sometimes in groups (pods), from cold-water feeding grounds to warm-water breeding grounds.

Gray whales make the longest seasonal migration of any of the whales. They travel about 12,500 miles each year.