Why do whales breach? 🐋 Whales breach for various reasons as this behavior likely serves different functions throughout the course of their lives. Repeated breaching helps calves build vital energy stores and muscle needed to migrate back to feeding grounds by increasing myoglobin levels in their tissue. A protein found in muscle cells, myoglobin is iron- and oxygen-binding and likely extends humpbacks’ breath-holding ability when diving. 🐋 📸Research activities authorized under NMFS/MMPA ESA

537K views · 10K reactions | WAVING WHALE: A young humpback whale was spotted breaching several times in the bay near Seattle, Washington, on Thursday (11/30). The whale was spotted in the area for a few days. Local whale watching groups said the mammal is the calf of a female called "Smiley." | CBS Newspath | Facebook

24M views | WATCH: A group of tourists on a whale watching tour off the coast of California got the experience of a lifetime - when two humpback whales swam up to the boat Tuesday. | CBS Newspath | Facebook

2.1M views · 147K reactions | Great afternoon with one very active whale. Jumping and splashing the entire time we watched it :) | Whale Watching Sydney | Facebook