Whale That Travelled Halfway Around the World Sets Migration Record (newscientist.com) 17
Between May and July of 2013, a single grey whale (Eschrichtius robustus) was spotted off the coast of Namibia. This was odd, as while there have been rare sightings of this species in the Atlantic Ocean, they are usually confined to the northern hemisphere. From a report: It turns out the animal had travelled at least 20,000 kilometres (12,427.4 miles) -- halfway around the planet -- setting a record for a migration of any mammal, barring humans. Rus Hoelzel at Durham University in the UK and his colleagues used tissue samples collected from the whale's skin and analysed its DNA to trace its origins.
By comparing it with other grey whale populations, they found that this individual, a male, was probably born to the endangered western North Pacific population, found along the coast of eastern Asia. This means it travelled at least 20,000 kilometres to get to the southern Atlantic. Earth's circumference is slightly over 40,000 kilometres. "This is the record really for an in-water migration, if you're assuming that this individual started its life in the north-west Pacific and it found its way to Namibia," says Hoelzel. "That's as far as any vertebrate has ever gone in water, as far as we know." Land dwelling mammals fall far short of this feat -- the record is a grey wolf that roamed more than 7000 kilometres in a year.
By comparing it with other grey whale populations, they found that this individual, a male, was probably born to the endangered western North Pacific population, found along the coast of eastern Asia. This means it travelled at least 20,000 kilometres to get to the southern Atlantic. Earth's circumference is slightly over 40,000 kilometres. "This is the record really for an in-water migration, if you're assuming that this individual started its life in the north-west Pacific and it found its way to Namibia," says Hoelzel. "That's as far as any vertebrate has ever gone in water, as far as we know." Land dwelling mammals fall far short of this feat -- the record is a grey wolf that roamed more than 7000 kilometres in a year.
Wrong (Score:5, Interesting)
We set the whale tracking record. It is our achievement. I am pretty sure whales did travel that far before.
Re: Wrong (Score:2)
If a tree falls in the forest and no one around to hear it, has it made a sound?
I'm a land dwelling mammel (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
That's nothing! I am a (presently) entirely desk-bound land-dwelling vertebrate, and I travelled 30,000 kilometres in the last 76.92 seconds.
I mean, I know everyone else living on this tiny little speck whirling through an infinite universe did that as well, but anyway...
Whaling? (Score:1)
Mystery solved? (Score:2)
was probably born to the endangered western North Pacific population
Does that explain why they are endangered? They keep wandering off
Male (Score:5, Funny)
Arctic Tern: 30,000 km (Score:3)
Maybe whales have the water record, but Terns:
https://www.nationalgeographic... [nationalgeographic.org]
Is It Really Migration? (Score:2)
Barring humans? (Score:2)
" setting a record for a migration of any mammal, barring humans"
I'd like to see a human try to swim or walk 20,000 km.
Stupid whales (Score:2)
Great. So whales get to travel around the world, but I'm still in lockdown. Stupid whales.
That's as far as any vertebrate has ever gone ... (Score:2)
... as far as we know"
Typical biology statement because it's an observational past time, not a science. More interesting might have been how the distance compares to what a whale like that _could_ swim in the same time period. And given that a whale is immersed in the medium isn't it as pointless as marveling at how far a human has walked in say a year?
Frankly, instead of circling around and around in the North Pacific for 12,000+ miles, the whale went off on a long curve and ended up near Africa ... and