Record Whale Journey Reveals Ocean-Wide Connections

Scientists have documented the longest known movement of an individual humpback whale, revealing remarkable connections between whale populations across vast stretches of ocean and offering new insights into marine conservation.

“Discoveries like this are only possible because of investment into long-term multi-decadal research programmes and international collaboration,” said Stephanie Stack, PhD Candidate and co-author of the study.

Researchers matched photographs of whale tail markings collected over four decades and found two humpback whales that travelled between breeding grounds in Australia and Brazil. One whale completed a documented journey of at least 15,100 kilometres between sightings, setting a new migration record for the species. The study analysed 19,283 high-quality photographs gathered between 1984 and 2025 by scientists and citizen contributors. Although such movements appear rare, with only two matches found among nearly 20,000 identified whales, researchers say these long-distance exchanges can help maintain genetic diversity and spread cultural behaviours such as whale songs. The findings also highlight the value of international collaboration and citizen science in improving understanding of wildlife and ocean ecosystems.