Made over 50 jumps: near Vernadsky Station, a humpback whale put on a spectacular “show” for polar explorers

In the area of the Ukrainian Antarctic station “Vernadsky” polar explorers recorded the unusual behavior of a humpback whale. The animal made more than 50 jumps in a row, and the observations lasted about 1 hour.

This was reported by the National Antarctic Science Center.

The incident occurred during one of the ocean outings of the participants of the 30th Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition. The polar explorers were working south of Galindez Island, where the Vernadsky Station is located.

During the research between the Bercelot group of islands and Darboux Island, the scientists encountered a group of humpback whales and were able to take a biopsy. On the way back, the team saw two more whales, after which one of them began to actively jump out of the water.

“During the wintering period, we were lucky enough to constantly observe cetaceans – humpbacks, striped whales, killer whales. But we will definitely remember this meeting for the rest of our lives! The whale made more than fifty jumps in a row – none of us have ever seen anything like it,” said Zoya Shvydka, a biologist with the 30th Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition.

According to scientists, the whale demonstrated different types of jumps: full rotations in the air, partial jumps and sideways movements. The entire process lasted about 1 hour.

“Everything lasted about an hour, during which we took both photos and video from the drone. Perhaps the “show” would have lasted longer, but we had to return to the station,” said Zoya Shvydka.

During the observation, scientists also recorded the whale’s tail fin for further identification in a global database.

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