00482 Flipper Slapping

One of the forms of communication that Humpbacks can use, which other whales cannot, is flipper slapping. A Humpback's pectoral flippers can reach 13 feet long, a full third of their body length. When they want to make a loud noise, they lie on their sides and slap their flippers onto the water's surface. This can also be done to stun entire schools of fish which have been chased to the surface.