A male humpback whale has set a new record for long-distance travel, swimming across three oceans in search of a mate. This unprecedented journey, documented by researchers, provides new insights into humpback whale behavior and migration patterns.
The whale began its journey off the coast of Colombia in the Pacific Ocean and ended near Zanzibar in the Indian Ocean. Researchers tracked the journey’s distance at 8,106 miles (13,046 kilometers), making it the farthest distance ever recorded for a humpback whale. The discovery was published in the journal Royal Society Open Science on Dec. 10.
Challenging traditional migration patterns
This journey challenges the understanding of how humpback whales migrate. Traditionally, these whales follow predictable routes, traveling north to south between cold feeding areas near the poles and warm breeding grounds in the tropics.
These migrations usually span over 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) in a straight north-south direction. However, they rarely travel far from east to west, and different populations typically do not mix.
In this case, the male whale’s path took it eastward, likely aided by prevailing ocean currents in the Southern Ocean. Ted Cheeseman, a doctoral student at Southern Cross University in Australia and director of the whale-tracking database Happywhale, said the whale may have also crossed through the Atlantic Ocean, visiting different humpback populations along the way.
Tracking the journey through photos
Researchers documented the journey using photographs taken between 2013 and 2022. The images, posted on Happywhale, showed the same adult male whale near Colombia and five years later in the Zanzibar Channel.
In both locations, the whale was part of a competitive group — clusters of males competing for a female’s attention while a dominant male closely guarded her.
Why the whale traveled so far
Ekaterina Kalashnikova, the study’s lead author and a biologist with the Tanzania Cetaceans Program and the Barazuto Center for Scientific Studies in Mozambique, said the whale likely traveled this extraordinary distance to improve its chances of mating.
Other factors may have also played a role in the whale’s journey. Environmental changes, such as shifts in food supplies, climate change, and growing humpback populations, may be increasing competition among males during breeding seasons, the study suggests.
This discovery is significant because it shows humpback whales are more flexible in their migration patterns than previously thought. Similar long-distance trips have been recorded before, such as a female humpback that swam 6,100 miles (9,800 kilometers) from Brazil to Madagascar between 1999 and 2001. However, this male’s journey is the longest recorded to date.
Deeper insights into whale behavior
The findings offer a deeper understanding of how humpback whales adapt to their environment and interact with different populations. The study underscores the importance of continued tracking and research to monitor how whales respond to changing ocean conditions.
As scientists continue to document these remarkable journeys, each discovery adds a piece to the puzzle of whale behavior and ecology. These insights may help in efforts to protect humpback whales, whose survival depends on healthy oceans and the ability to travel vast distances to feed and breed.