Friday, October 31, 2008

Catching air!

March, 2008
Spring is in the air and Gray Whales here in the lagoons are jumping for joy! It is especially fun to watch as newborn calves learn how to properly breach - throwing their bodies out of the sea and into the air. This sub-adult is also adding a half-twist to the breach!
This 4 to 6 week old has finally gotten the hang of it and managed to breach half a dozen times in a row!
This calf has learned a new twist in its efforts to breach. It may not be catching the air that some of the other young whales are getting, but it has learned to fill its mouth with water and let it stream out as it leaps! That certainly qualifies for extra style points...
Look at the arching back and height that this calf is achieving...nice form!
Adult Gray Whales will occasionally breach, but spy-hopping let's them get their bodies into the air without all the energy requirements of a breach. The added benefit is that they can lift their bodies high enough out of the water to get a good look around...
Just whom is watching whom here? A question I have asked myself over an over again!