West Coast Groundfish Observer Program Manual, Part2 - NOAA

CHAPTER 7
Marine Mammal Behaviors
Animal behavior is useful in assisting with accurate species
identification. Descriptions of several standard cetacean
and pinniped behaviors are listed below. Watch for these
behaviors when collecting marine mammal sighting data.
Small Cetaceans
• Bow riding—Animals swim beside the bow or in
the bow wave of a moving ship.
• Leaping entirely out of the water—Animal
jumps fully clear of the surface of the water (as
opposed to merely breaking the surface of the
water), not for forward locomotion but for other
reasons.
• Porpoising—Animal raises its body to be nearly or
fully out of the water while traveling forward at a
fast rate of speed, usually in a fluid, arching motion.
• Rooster tailing—Animal surfaces at high speed
creating a spray of water in front and over the top
of the animal which looks like a rooster’s tail.
Usually seen only in Dall’s porpoise.
• Slow rolling—Animal comes to the surface to
breathe, with the blowhole and dorsal area usually
showing, and then rolls back underwater.
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