14 DAY TRIAL // While out sailing in the waters off the coast of Norway, a wildlife researcher named Karl-Otto Jacobsen had the surprise of a lifetime when a humpback whale jumped out of the ocean and did a barrel roll before his very eyes.
The biologist had a camera with him and managed to snap a couple of photos of the marine mammals and its stunning acrobatics show. Luckily for us, he was courteous enough to share them with us ordinary folks.
49-year-old Karl-Otto Jacobsen estimates that the humpback whale he chanced to witness jumping out of the ocean and rolling midair was about 50 feet (15 meters) long and weighed about 40 tonnes.
Although they are all too familiar with this behavior, wildlife researchers cannot say for sure why whales sometimes plunge out of the water and turn into airborne acrobats. Some say they do it to have some fun.
Others, however, suspect that all the commotion helps the marine mammals get rid of parasites on their skin. Whatever the reason, there is little doubt these games whales like to play are quite a sight.
“I caught the gigantic leap on my camera. It wasn't until I arrived home and downloaded the images that I realized I had captured a truly exceptional moment,” biologist Karl-Otto Jacobsen himself said in a statement, as cited by DM.
