Unbelievable Whale tail flapping (lobtailing) extravaganzia
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Loading ...We shot this video in Maui last Feb and just recently we were discussing talking with friends about why we had seen. Apparently there is some speculation that whale’s flapping their tales, or lobtailing can be a sign of aggression (See Whale Info). To our amazement, we also found out that day a baby whale had indeed been attacked by a shark (see Maui News ). It’s very possible the shark was near and this chased him off or this might have been a whale trying to scare the shark off.
The guys at the Vancouver Aquarium say that whales use their tails to stun animals in order to eat them, but it’s very likely that they would also use their tails to drive off aggressors.
i’ve lived 7 years on maui, and this behavior is totally normal. whales come in the winter from alaska to give birth, because of the shallow and warm water between maui and the neighboring island of molokai. when they jump or ‘tail flap’, it’s only to remove shells off they skin.
If you look real close you can actually see a zoom button on your camcorder.