In a rare and fascinating sight, Australian TikTok celebrity Brodie Moss captured a humpback whale seemingly frozen in the middle of the ocean. However, there has been a twist and a scientific explanation.
The whale is performing what is known as "planting a banana tree" or "sailing the tail". The video, which has now gone viral, shows the whale's tail piercing the calm ocean surface, almost completely motionless.
Moss, who was in a transparent kayak at the time, expressed his amazement and excitement in the video. "I think it's the tail of a whale. It just comes up and hangs, and doesn't go anywhere. I don't even know what to say," he could be heard saying. As he paddled backward to maintain a safe distance, he noticed a baby whale swimming around the tail of an adult whale, leading him to believe the larger whale might be the mother.
What is a sail? This behavior, known as "backwashing," has been a phenomenon that has puzzled scientists for decades. It is occasionally seen in humpback whales, as well as gray whales, bowheads, and right whales.
The term "tail sail" comes from the similarity of a whale's tail to a sail as it exits the ocean.
Although Moss did not reveal the exact location of the meeting, he is a member of the YBS Youngbloods, a group that creates ocean media content in Western Australia.
Interestingly, similar behavior was recorded by a whale-watching company in the same area in 2019 and 2020. A long-term study conducted off the coast of Brazil between 1989 and 2000 also recorded cases of tail sails. The researchers found that the whales slowly twisted their tails, rotating them around a vertical axis. This behavior has been observed in single whales, mother whales, and even a pregnant female. When mother whales exhibit this behavior, their young often swim around them.
There are several theories as to why whales engage in tail boating. Some suggest it could be a way for the whales to rest, while others suggest it could be a method of regulating body temperature. The whale's tail has many blood vessels, which means it can effectively absorb or release body heat. However, these hypotheses are still speculative, and more research is needed to fully understand this intriguing behavior.
