The Quiz: What word describes when a whale jumps out of the water?
Breaching
Tail-lobbing
Fin slapping
Tail sailing
Breaching describes when most or all of the whale’s body leaves the water. The Humpback whale seems to do it more than other species, thus its name. As for other surface activities, whales are often seen using their pectoral fins to slap the surface or lobbing their tails to make a big splash. Tail sailing is more rare. Scientists have seen whales swimming with their tails raised into the air, perhaps using the wind to push them along or simply to cool off.
The correct answer to this quiz is Breaching.