A camera attached to the humpback capture a unique view from the whale’s perspective as it breaches the surface. Behavior that scientists still don’t understand.
A camera attached to a humpback whale captured the spectacular moment the giant marine mammal breached the surface — leaping skyward and clearing the horizon.
Breaching behavior has been a source of fascination for scientists and the amazing act is still poorly understood; theories range from communication, parasite removal, or perhaps just sheer joy.
A camera attached to an individual by the NOAA Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMC) captured the moment the humpback began accelerating through the water toward the surface and the brief moment it soared through the air.
“You’ve seen a breach, but have you seen it from the whale’s point of view?” the NOAA SBNMC writes on Instagram.
Photographers have long been obsessed with capturing breaches; it is arguably one of the most popular shots in nature photography. But just how did the SBNMC manage to capture this novel viewpoint?
Suction Tags
The SBNMS explains that researchers captured the video by attaching a non-invasive suction-cup tag to a humpback whose name is Spell.
The four suction-cup tags are fastened via a long pole — or sometimes a drone — as the whales surface for air, just before they return for another deep dive in the ocean.
When using a 30-foot pole to tag a whale, the tag is first placed into a cradle at the end of the pole. Photo: Laura Howes/NOAA
The tags are largely there to collect data but some have tiny cameras that record footage, like the one attached to Spell.
“While the tags can be programmed off for a timed release, they often pop off due to the whale’s natural behaviour, such as breaching,” says NOAA SBNMS, per BBC Wildlife.
Indeed, after Speell has breached, the sheer power of the impact removed the tag along with the camera. “The tag popped off moments after her [breach],” adds NOAA SBNMS.
Image credits: Header photo of whale breach licensed via Depositphotos. Video and image credit: collected under NMFS permit 27272-01 | NOAA Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary (SBNMS) | Laura Howes