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May 20 2025
3Humpback whales have long been known for their dramatic migrations from Antarctic feeding grounds to tropical waters to give birth. However, new research has revealed that these births can also occur far from the expected breeding zones—sometimes even during the migration journey itself.
Scientists have discovered that humpback calves are being born as far south as Tasmania and New Zealand, up to 1,500 kilometers beyond the traditionally recognized calving areas. These findings challenge the long-standing assumption that warm tropical waters are essential for humpback births.
Dr. Tracey Rogers, senior author of the study published in Frontiers in Marine Science and a researcher at the University of New South Wales, emphasized the significance of this discovery: “Hundreds of humpback calves were born well outside the established breeding grounds. These newborns must swim long distances much earlier in life, which poses unique challenges.”
Jane McPhee-Frew, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of New South Wales and lead author of the study, also works as a marine guide. In July 2023, she encountered a newborn calf with its mother at Newcastle Harbor—one of Australia's busiest ports. “The calf was tiny and clearly just born. It was surprising, but my colleagues in the tourism sector didn’t seem shocked,” she recalled.
Motivated by this unusual sighting, researchers analyzed data collected from citizen science observations, government reports, and whale strandings across Australia and New Zealand. This included contributions from New Zealand's Department of Conservation’s Cook Strait Whale Project and Australian wildlife departments. They identified 209 records of young calves, including 11 confirmed births, 41 strandings, and 168 live calf sightings—representing at least 169 individuals. Among 118 records with directional data, calves were shown to continue migrating north after birth.
Co-author Dr. Adelaide Dedden of Australia's National Parks and Wildlife Service explained that humpbacks rely on massive energy reserves—built up from feeding on Antarctic krill—to support migration and reproduction. “They make extensive journeys from the Southern Ocean to tropical breeding grounds,” she said.
One calf was found as far south as Port Arthur, Tasmania—previously believed to be too cold for calving. Another birth was observed slightly further north at Kaikoura, New Zealand. Notably, most live calf sightings occurred from 2016 onward, with two-thirds reported in 2023 and 2024. Historical whaling logs suggest that mid-migration births may have occurred before whale populations declined due to hunting.
McPhee-Frew believes this pattern likely existed all along but was hidden when whale numbers were low. “Now that there are 30,000 to 50,000 whales in the Eastern Australia population, we’re finally seeing the full spectrum of their behaviors return.”
Despite the risks migration poses—such as energy costs and predator exposure—the reasons whales still undertake these long journeys are not entirely clear. The researchers speculate that tropical waters may still offer benefits not yet fully understood.
The findings carry important conservation implications. Some calves observed were injured, prompting calls for expanded protected zones and public education about whale safety. McPhee-Frew cautioned, “Our study is based on opportunistic sightings, so while we can confirm calves are being born during migration, we must be careful not to over-interpret the data.”
Dr. Vanessa Pirotta of Macquarie University added, “We can only report what we observe. There may be much more happening in our oceans that we have yet to uncover.”
This research highlights the evolving understanding of humpback whale behavior and underscores the importance of adaptive conservation strategies as their populations continue to recover.
Source:https://phys.org/news/2025-05-automating-irrigation-suwannee-valley-crop.html
This is non-financial/medical advice and made using AI so could be wrong.
