AP, NEW YORK
Scientists have spotted two humpback whales that made separate, record-breaking crossings between Australia and Brazil.The whales were identified by their distinctive tail markings at the two locations about 14,500km apart. They traveled in opposite directions and journeyed farther than any humpback known so far.“It’s a very rare event, but it is a really wonderful demonstration of just how wide-ranging these animals are,” said Phillip Clapham, former head of a US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration whale research program who was not involved with the new findings.
A humpback whale breaches off the coast of Australia in a photograph provided by the Pacific Whale Foundation this month.
Humpback whales are known for roaming long distances across major oceans in predictable patterns, typically following migration routes learned from their mothers. They feed on krill and small fish in the warmer months and breed in tropical waters over winter.It is difficult to track the movements of creatures that spend most of their lives underwater. In the new study, scientists analyzed more than 19,000 whale images taken in the past four decades by research groups and citizen scientists.
