A humpback whale was caught doing backflips while trying to free itself from rescuers.
A humpback whale caught in a fishing rope off Canada's western coast stunned rescuers when the whale pulled off a magnificent maneuver to free itself as rescuers worked to help the whale.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada said that the sea creature was caught in the ropes used to catch prawns for two days when rescuers caught up with the ocean mammal near Texada Island.
Humpback whale backflips during a rescue off the coast of Canada
The Marine Mammal Rescue team of the department was following the distressed whale when its aerial drone spotted that two more humpback whales were swimming alongside the creature.
Before rescuers attempted to cut off the rope caught in the whale's mouth, they added some drag to slow the whale down.
It appeared that the whale sensed the additional drag, and what happened next stunned the rescuers.
After rescuers added drag to the rope, the whale surfaced and did a backflip to free itself from the rope that was caught in the animal's mouth.
There is a drone video that shows the humpback whale spy hopping, which means the whale puts itself in a vertical position before doing a backflip in the water.
All the gear came flying out and the newly freed humpback whale swam away with its two companions. Rescuers continued following the trio with drones to make sure the whale was completely free of the gear.
As the creature swam away with its companions, it is described as energetic.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), humpback whales can measure up to about 60 feet long and weigh up to about 40 tons.