Do you know, the humpback whale migrates further than any other whale species to reach its breeding grounds? It is also one of the most remarkable journeys being made by any creature on the planet. And, the amazing journey is made by one of the biggest creatures known to science.
Creating the largest recorded journey by any individual mammal, the humpback whales’ traveling between breeding grounds off the west coast of Central America and feeding grounds off Antarctica is found to cover up more than 5,000 miles on one leg of their journey!
It seems, the whales are heading for warmer waters to give birth to their calves.
Not involved in the research, Mark Simmonds, director of science at the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society said,
It has this extraordinary lifestyle with its breeding grounds in one place and its feeding grounds far away.
Making daily excursions in small boats off the coaf Central America for observing the whales between June and October, Kristin Rasmussen at the Cascadia Research Collective in Olympia, Washington and her colleagues took photographs of the animals’ tails’ underside so that they could be identified at the other end of their journey. Ms Rasmussen said,
Just like humans have unique fingerprints, whales have unique tail markings.
It’s likely that being in warm water is somehow beneficial to the calf. Humpbacks all pretty much sing the same song at the breeding ground and that undulating noise develops through the breeding season.