Humpback Whale Sounding, Inside Passage Near Juneau, Alaska, August 2006

© 2006 Above Tree Line Images

Often, when a humpback sounds, or dives deep to feed, its tail flips up in the air. Each tail has unique marking which whale experts and others use like human fingerprints. The gull silhoutetted against the cloud appears to be mimicing the shape of the whale tail.