Humpback Whale Sets Record for Longest Migration Between Pacific and Indian Oceans

Introduction

Humpback whales live in all oceans around the world. They travel long distances every year and have one of the longest migrations of any mammal, swimming from tropical breeding grounds to feeding grounds in cooler waters.

Background Information

Humpback whales are highly migratory species that can travel thousands of kilometers each year. Their migration patterns are influenced by various factors, including food availability, breeding grounds, and climate change.

The Record-Breaking Migration

The whale was seen in the Pacific Ocean off Colombia in 2017, then popped up several years later near Zanzibar in the Indian Ocean – a distance of at least 13,000 km. This epic journey might be down to climate change depleting food stocks or perhaps an odyssey to find a mate.

Tracking the Whale’s Movements

A citizen science website called Happywhale.com tracked the whale’s movements using artificial intelligence and flukeprints. The site compares each submitted photo with a growing database of more than 900,000 photographs of other whale tails, amounting to some 109,000 individual whales it tracks.

Artificial Intelligence and Flukeprints

Modified facial recognition software using artificial intelligence matches up distinct features that form a “flukeprint,” as distinct and recognizable as a human fingerprint or face. It’s like a five-meter banner of their ID, explains Ted Cheeseman, a marine ecologist at Southern Cross University in Australia who founded the site.

The Database

The database has enabled other finds, such as identifying a crash in whale populations during the “Blob” heat wave in the North Pacific. It also provides valuable insights into whale behavior and migration patterns.

Potential Explanations for the Whale’s Journey

While Happywhale tracked this journey, it does not explain why the humpback took such a trip. The study offers several potential explanations. First, human interference might be knocking whale behavior out of whack. Warmer waters as a result of climate change and krill harvesting could be disturbing traditional humpback feeding grounds, forcing whales to go farther and farther to find food.

Conclusion

The discovery was truly impressive and unusual even for this highly migratory species. The experts think this epic journey might be down to climate change depleting food stocks or perhaps an odyssey to find a mate.