Whale Weathervane – Whale Tail

Our Whale’s Tail Weather Vane is made from copper with stylized copper waves. Because our vanes are handcrafted to order, the choice of metals can be modified to preference. A popular variation is to make the waves in brass.This is a very simple design, but for anyone who has ever had the good fortune to see a whale flip its tail and dive, it is an iconic image. The Whale’s Tail weather vane is most effective when clearly silhouetted against the sky.

Lobtailing is the act of a whale or dolphin lifting its flukes out of the water and then bringing them down onto the surface of the water hard and fast in order to make a loud slap.

Large whales tend to lobtail by positioning themselves vertically downwards into the water and then slapping the surface by bending the tail stock. All species are likely to slap several times in a single session. The sound of a lobtail can be heard underwater several hundred metres from the site of a slap. This has led to speculation amongst scientists that lobtailing is, like breaching, a form of non-vocal communication. The lobtail is probably important visually as well as acoustically, and may be a sign of aggression when foraging.