How Does a Whale Get Around the Ocean?

How a Whale Gets Around the Ocean

A whale's smooth, streamlined body is designed for gliding through the ocean, sometimes at speeds of 23 miles per hour. The powerful fluke at the end of a whale's tail moves up and down to propel it through the water; a fish's tail moves side-to-side. Since a whale is a mammal, it breathes air and must surface regularly to keep from drowning. The blowhole on top of the whale's head is for breathing. After the whale rises to the water's surface, it inhales once before exhaling and returning underwater. The blowhole closes so that water doesn't enter as the whale submerges. Toothed whales, such as sperm whales and killer whales, use echolocation to help them navigate around the ocean. These whales emit low-frequency clicks (called "trains"), and then listen for the sounds to "echo," or bounce off an object. The echoes identify the location of objects, so the whale can find food, move through the ocean and notice predators before they can strike.

A Whale's Special Moves

Whale watching is a popular activity because of the fascinating moves whales make as they move around the ocean. Whale watchers can spot the whale's dorsal fin gliding along the ocean's surface. Whales often leap high from the ocean and twist in the air before crashing back down into the water, a display known as "breaching." Scientists aren't sure why whales breach, but some have speculated that the whales could be doing it to play, to communicate or to clean themselves. Another whale move is called "lobtailing." The whale rests face down in the water with its fluke sticking out, and then slaps the fluke into the water, making an incredible splash. When a whale sits up vertically in the water and spins around, it's called "spyhopping." A "logging" whale will lie still at the ocean's surface, with its tail hanging down. This may be how a whale rests or sleeps.

Migration

Many whales migrate during summer and winter. They will travel to colder regions, a vast food source, during the summer for feeding. During the summer, a whale will store up on food, which increases its blubber. When the whale travels to the warmer waters for breeding in the winter, this extra fat will nourish the mammal until it returns to the colder waters. Whales repeat this migration every year.