Record-Breaking Migration of Two Whales Causes Surprise

According to SAEDNEWS, these whales were identified in two locations about 14,500 kilometers apart through their distinctive tail markings. They moved in opposite directions and covered a greater distance than any previously known humpback whale.

Philip Clapham, former head of a whale research program who was not involved in the new findings, said: “This is a very rare event, but a truly astonishing indication of how extensive these animals’ capabilities are.”

Humpback whales are known for roaming long distances across vast oceans in predictable migration patterns.

They typically follow routes learned from their mothers, feeding on small fish in warmer months and breeding in tropical waters during winter.

Tracking the movements of creatures that spend most of their lives underwater is difficult. However, in a new study, scientists analyzed more than 19,000 whale images collected over four decades by research groups and citizens. Image-recognition software helped identify whales based on the color patterns of their tails.

Researchers identified two different whales in mating grounds in eastern Australia and Brazil over the years, showing that they had traveled between the two regions. One of the whales traveled just over 15,000 kilometers, surpassing previous record holders, including a humpback whale that swam from Colombia to Zanzibar.

Since the photos only show the whales at the beginning and end of their journeys, researchers do not know the exact route they took.

It is still unclear why these two whales independently began such journeys. Stephanie Stack, co-author of the study from the Pacific Whale Foundation, said in an email that they may have met other whales in shared feeding areas and separated instead of returning to their original locations.

Stack said: “Finding not one, but two whales moving between Australia and Brazil challenges what we thought we knew about how separated these populations really are.”

Such exploratory journeys are more difficult for whales in the Northern Hemisphere, where large continents make ocean travel harder. Scientists say this record-breaking migration shows how far humpback whales can travel.

These methods may also help track them as climate change warms oceans and potentially shifts the locations of fish populations and whale feeding and breeding grounds.