This is, perhaps, why we do tend to see breaching … Breaching is one of the greatest mysteries of whales. Humpback whale breaching, South Africa. The on-going effort to rescue 80 beached whales north-west of Auckland, New Zealand, has left researchers and marine biologists trying to determine the cause of whale stranding. Humpback whales are extremely active above the surface. Breaching is much louder, so some experts believe whales may breach to call out to each other when the water is rough. Why Do Whales Breach? They often breach, and slap the water with either their fins and tail flukes. Why Do Whales Breach? Also, why do whales breach? A breach or a lunge is a leap out of the water is also known as cresting. Beached whales can, and sometimes do, explode due to a buildup of gas that can happen as the beached whale decomposes. Princess Monterey Whale Watching We are not sure exactly why whales breach, but there are several theories, so let’s take a closer look at this fascinating behavior in which a whale lunges 75% of its body out of the water and lands on its side or back. Dr Vanessa Pirotta from Macquarie University said it "remains a mystery". 12 Possible reasons why whales beach themselves. It seems as if these whales heard the activity of the whale that we were observing and then answered back by performing a similar activity. (Parks and Wildlife)Why do whales strand themselves? This would lend credence to the idea that the activity is a means of communicating with other whales. The distinction between the two is fairly arbitrary: cetacean researcher Hal Whitehead defines a breach as any leap in which at least 40% of the animal’s body clears the water, and a lunge as a leap with less than 40% clearance. After all, they do not eat during their migration period, so it is strange that they would choose to consume such large amounts of energy for something that does not serve a purpose. 1) Injuries from collisions with boats, ships and other man-made aquatic machines. Breaching is when a whale throws its entire body out of the water. As more ships take over the ocean and global trade continues to increase so does the opportunities for whales to collide with ships and become injured or disoriented causing them to accidentally strand themselves. While it remains a challenge for these marine specialists to come to a conclusion as to why humpbacks breach, there have been a number of different theories that may help bring clarity to … Among the reasons scientists believed whales breached were for communication, a way to warn others of impending danger, as a way to stun prey, and as a sort of mating ritual competition between males. We know that both males and females can breach, that they breach at all times of the year, and that they will breach when alone or in groups. Breaching takes a lot of energy, so, weirdly, humpback whales do it while migrating. why do whales breach? Whales will also breach once or many times and at both their breeding grounds and their feeding grounds. Why do whales breach? It’s a good question and one with multiple schools of thought attached. Researchers have evidence for this theory . Posted in Recent Sightings; Tagged Humpback Whales, Kaikoura, Sperm whale, Breaching; Posted 4 years ago by Lisa Bond 3 Minute(s) to read Ever wondered why sperm whales breach? One study found that whales were more likely to breach if other whales were less than 4,000 meters (about 2.5 miles) away. Researchers now understand more about why the whales do … A whale stranding at Perkins Island north west Tasmania. 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