A male humpback whale has recently made headlines for completing one of the longest migrations ever recorded, traveling approximately 13,046 kilometers (8,106 miles) from the Pacific coast of Colombia to the Indian Ocean near Zanzibar. This remarkable journey has sparked interest among scientists, who are exploring the potential impacts of climate change on whale migration patterns.
The whale was first sighted in Colombian waters in 2013 and again in 2017, before reappearing in Zanzibar in 2022. This migration exceeds the previously documented longest distance for a humpback whale, highlighting the species' adaptability and the possible influence of environmental changes.
According to Ekaterina Kalashnikova from the Tanzania Cetaceans Program, this migration is particularly unusual for humpback whales, which typically follow established routes between breeding and feeding grounds. The study suggests that climate change may be altering food availability, compelling whales to seek new feeding areas or breeding grounds.
Kalashnikova stated, 'This migration is truly impressive and unusual, even for this highly migratory species.' The research, which utilized a citizen science database called Happywhale to track individual whales through tail pattern recognition, was published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
This discovery not only sheds light on humpback whale behavior but also raises questions about how climate change might affect marine life in the future.