The largest genetic study of humpback whales in the southern hemisphere has been conducted, reports Science Daily.
DNA samples of 1 500 whales were analysed, and the results have been published in PLoS ONE, an interactive open-access journal for scientific and medical research. South African researchers at Marine and Coastal Management and the Universities of Pretoria and Cape Town, as well as contributors from the Wildlife Conservation Society, The American Museum of Natural History, and researchers from Brazil, France, Oman and Gabon participated in the study.
Humpback whales have been studied in depth in the northern hemisphere, but little was previously known about those in the southern oceans.
The study found that humpback whales had been found to move between oceans, the first such recording, especially along the two oceans around Africa. The songs of these humpback whales in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans were found to be similar, probably indicating that they connect in the Antarctic. The humpback whales in the northern Indian Ocean and Arabian peninsula are far less likely to migrate, and only number 200.
A study conducted by the Cascadia Research Collective in the USA found that humpback whales travelled up to 8 300 km to Costa Rica from the Antarctic, in 161 days. This is the longest ever humpback whale migration recorded. The study also found that whale spent their winter in waters of between 21 – 28 C.
For more information about the humpback whale research, click here.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio : www.whalecottage.com
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