Slaps

Flippering: Flippering appears as repeated slapping of either one or both of the 9 to 12-foot-long flippers of the humpback whale. Although typically seen with the animal lying in a sideways posture with one flipper being raised and lowered repeatedly, it may also involve rolling and slapping the right and left flippers alternately.

Fluke Slap: Also called “lobtailing”, fluke slaps are usually seen with the whale in a normal dorsal (backside up) posture with the flexible tailstock, or peduncle, lifting repeatedly out of the water and slapping the water with the ventral (or underneath) side of the fluke. Sometimes, however, this may involve a head-down posture of the whale and back-and-forth action alternately slapping both ventral and dorsal surfaces of the fluke.

Peduncle Slap: A more powerful and even violent version of fluke slapping is the peduncle slap, which occurs when the peduncle section strikes the water with a forceful downward diagonal motion. Individual whales have been seen to actually lift out of the water when struck with a heavy peduncle slap by a rival whale.

Leaps

Headslap: Although considered by some researchers to be simply a “minibreach”, the headslap actually appears quite distinct in form. The relatively inflexible head is raised swiftly out of the water, usually not further than where the flippers meet the body, and then bought down hard with a loud slap and visible splash.

Breach: Certainly the most spectacular and renowned of whale behaviors, the breach is a true leap whereby the whale generates enough vertical force with its powerful flukes to lift nearly three-quarters of its body length out of the water. The “true” breach typically involves a twisting motion once the body reaches its highest vertical travel such that the force of impact is taken on the dorsal surface. The twisting motion may in some cases be only partial. Breaching may occur singly or in a series. A series of as many as 30 breaches or more have been witnessed by researchers in Hawaiian waters.

Aggressive Behavior

The following behaviors have been observed in humpback whale pods with two or more ìescortsî accompanying a cow-calf pair. The escorts typically attempt to displace one another in order to maintain exclusive contact with the cow. These behaviors are presented below in increasing order of intensity.

Head-lunging: Thought to be a form of ìthreatî, head-lunging involves a forceful forward thrust which brings the head partially or fully above water as the whale swims towards its competitor. The mouth and throat are sometimes inflated with water which serves to exaggerate the apparent size of the threatening animal.

Strike: With escalating aggression, one whale may actually butt up against its competitor, sometimes with tremendous force. These strikes may be directed at different parts of the whale’s body, although more often they occur as “broadside” strikes against the body and flanks.

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