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Scientists are amazed by a humpback whale’s extraordinary journey across the world’s oceans, likely one of the longest migrations ever recorded. The whale, first spotted off the Pacific coast of Colombia in 2017, resurfaced years later in the Indian Ocean near Zanzibar, covering a staggering 13,000 kilometers.
This unusual trek has left experts puzzled. Some believe climate change may have disrupted the whale’s usual food supply, forcing it to travel further to find enough to eat. Others suggest the whale may have been searching for a mate, venturing into new territories.
Ekaterina Kalashnikova, a researcher with the Tanzania Cetaceans Program, called the journey “incredible and extremely rare” even for humpback whales, which are already known for long migrations, in a conversation with the BBC.
Humpback whales typically move between warm breeding areas and colder feeding grounds, covering vast distances each year. However, this male’s journey stands out because it involved two breeding areas on opposite sides of the globe—an occurrence almost unheard of.
Climate change may be playing a role, scientists say. Warming waters are affecting the availability of krill, the tiny shrimp-like creatures that humpbacks rely on for food. This may force the whales to explore new areas to feed. Another possibility is that, as whale populations recover due to conservation efforts, they are naturally expanding into new regions.
Dr. Kalashnikova notes that environmental shifts, more frequent extreme weather, and natural evolution could all be factors driving these behaviors.
The findings come from a massive global database of whale photos collected by researchers, whale watchers, and the public through the website happywhale.com. Using artificial intelligence, the platform identifies individual whales by analyzing the unique patterns on their tails, or flukes, to track their movements across oceans.
The research, published in Royal Society Open Science, highlights just how far humpback whales can travel—and how their behavior may be adapting to a changing world.
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