Sometimes they twirl around while breaching. Breaching may be purely for play or may be used to loosen skin parasites or have some social meaning. It makes a very loud sound. The meaning or purpose of lobtailing is unknown, but may be done as a warning to the rest of the pod of danger. While floating motionless, part of the head, the dorsal fin or parts of the back are exposed at the surface.
Gray whales make the longest seasonal migration of any of the whales.
They travel about 12,500 miles each year. The strongest social ties are between mother and calf. A social group of whales is called a pod . Baleen whales travel alone or in small pods. The toothed whales travel in large, sometimes stable pods.