Trending Now - Humpback Whales Achieve Record 14,000 Km Migration From Australia to Brazil
WHO:
ABC News - Scientists, including Phillip Clapham, former head of a NOAA whale research program, and Stephanie Stack, co-author with the Pacific Whale Foundation.
WHAT:
Science Daily - One whale traveled at least 15,100 kilometers between sightings, marking the longest confirmed journey ever documented for an individual humpback whale.
ABC News - One whale traveled just over 9,300 miles (15,000 kilometers), outranking previous recordholders including a humpback that swam from Colombia to Zanzibar.
Phys.org - An international team of scientists documented humpback whales traveling between breeding grounds in eastern Australia and Brazil, crossing more than 14,000 kilometers of open ocean.
Science Daily - One whale covered at least 15,100 kilometers between sightings, marking the longest confirmed journey ever documented for an individual humpback whale.
Phys.org - One whale traveled at least 15,100 kilometers between sightings, marking the longest confirmed journey ever documented for an individual humpback whale.
ABC News - Two humpback whales made record-breaking crossings between Australia and Brazil, traveling distances of over 9,300 miles (15,000 kilometers) and 14,000 kilometers.
Phys.org - The findings document the greatest distances ever confirmed between sightings of individual humpback whales.
WHERE:
ABC News - The whales were identified at breeding sites in eastern Australia and Brazil, approximately 9,000 miles (14,500 kilometers) apart.
WHEN:
ABC News - The findings were published in the journal Royal Society Open Science on a Tuesday.
WHY:
ABC News - “Finding not one but two individuals that have crossed between Australia and Brazil challenges what we thought we knew about how separate these populations really are,” said Stephanie Stack with the Pacific Whale Foundation.
Science Daily - The findings set new records for the greatest distances ever confirmed between sightings of individual humpback whales anywhere in the world.
ABC News - The migration challenges previous understandings of the separation between humpback whale populations in Australia and Brazil.
ABC News - It is unclear why these two whales embarked on their journeys, as whales typically do not travel between mating sites.
HOW:
CBS News Science - Researchers stated that the pictures represent the longest distance ever seen between two pictures of the same humpback whale.
ABC News - Researchers analyzed over 19,000 whale images taken over the past four decades using recognition software to identify the whales based on their tail color patterns and jagged edges.
(UPDATED May 20, 2026 17:55 UTC)
In a remarkable discovery, a humpback whale has been documented traveling at least 15,100 kilometers, marking the longest confirmed journey ever recorded for an individual of its kind. This incredible feat surpasses the previous record held by another humpback that swam from Colombia to Zanzibar, as it covered just over 9,300 miles. Stephanie Stack from the Pacific Whale Foundation noted that finding two whales crossing between Australia and Brazil challenges previous assumptions about the separation of these populations.
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(UPDATED May 20, 2026 16:11 UTC)
An international team of scientists has documented humpback whales making an incredible journey between breeding grounds in eastern Australia and Brazil, crossing over 14,000 kilometers of open ocean. Remarkably, one whale covered at least 15,100 kilometers between sightings, marking the longest confirmed journey ever recorded for an individual humpback whale. Researchers noted that the images captured represent the longest distance ever observed between two photographs of the same humpback whale.
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(UPDATED May 20, 2026 08:08 UTC)
A remarkable humpback whale has set a new record by traveling at least 15,100 kilometers between sightings, marking the longest confirmed journey ever documented for this species. This extraordinary finding highlights the greatest distances ever confirmed for individual humpback whales globally. Researchers are excited about these insights, as they deepen our understanding of the migratory patterns of these majestic creatures.
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(UPDATED May 20, 2026 01:40 UTC)
Scientists, including Phillip Clapham and Stephanie Stack, have documented a remarkable migration of two humpback whales that traveled record-breaking distances of over 9,300 miles and 14,000 kilometers between breeding sites in eastern Australia and Brazil. This groundbreaking research, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, challenges previous understandings of the separation between humpback whale populations, as these journeys are not typical for whales between mating sites. Researchers utilized recognition software to analyze over 19,000 whale images collected over the past four decades, identifying the whales by their unique tail color patterns and jagged edges.