
Katharina J. Peters, University of Wollongong Why do dolphins jump out of the water?Charlize, age 8, MelbourneHave you ever seen images of dolphins jumping out of the waves and performing impressive acrobatics in the air? Or maybe you’ve seen it in real life?
When a dolphin jumps, it can launch its whole body out of the water. While it looks like fun, it must also be hard work!
So, why do dolphins jump out of the water? There are several possible reasons. Let’s jump in and explore them.To stay in touch
Dolphins are social animals and live in groups. But it’s hard to see long distances underwater. So, they use the power of sound to stay in contact with each other.
Sound travels much farther underwater than through the air. When dolphins jump, the slap of the landing makes a loud noise, and would be heard some distance away.
Some species, such as spinner dolphins, use jumping to communicate their location to other group members, especially at night. This helps them keep track of each other.
As an aside, spinner dolphins are very skilled jumpers. As the name suggests, they spin up to seven times in the air before landing back in the water!
Spinner dolphins are the acrobats of the sea.
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