Humpback whale undertakes record 6,200-mile journey
By IANSWednesday, October 13, 2010
LONDON - A humpback whale has swum into the record books after travelling a quarter of the way around the world.
In the longest recorded migration by any mammal, the female travelled 6,200 miles from the coast of Brazil to Madagascar. This is more than twice the distance humpbacks usually manage in a single migratory journey.
The fact that she is a female makes the feat even more unusual, as they are usually far less adventurous than their male counterparts, reports the Daily Mail.
The whale was first photographed by researchers from a boat as she cruised off the east coast of Brazil in 1999.
Just over two years later, she was one of a trio of whales spotted in the Indian Ocean off Madagascars east coast by a commercial whale watch boat. She was identified by the distinctive markings on her tail.
This extraordinary journey has come to light after all these years due to a delay in sending the slides of her tail markings to Peter Stevick of The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, UK.
“This is about 2,500 miles longer than any previously reported movement between breeding grounds,” said Stevick.
“We do not know what happened to the whale between sightings, or where it has been since,” he added.
