A team of researchers from Durham University and Sea Search Research and Conservation NPC, has found that a gray whale spotted off the coast of Namibia traveled halfway around the globe to get there. It is the first gray whale to swim more than 16,700 miles, the longest migration distance ever recorded for the species. The migration is not the only special thing about this animal. (https://www.plu68.com/)
Distance record in water-migration
A 40-foot long male gray whale made history. According to a research paper published in the Royal society’s biology letters, scientists from Sea Search Research and Conservation NPC and Durham University found a gray whale off Nambia’s coast that they believe traveled almost halfway around the world!
The species is native to the north pacific regions. Few fishermen were the first to find one in Walvis Bay in 2013. It caught the attention of scientists and oceanographers which led to the start of the study. After all, it was the first time that they noticed one so far from home.
Study shows sighting of the gray whale is very rare
A team of scientists obtained a small tissue sample. Further analysis was taken up by Tess Gridley and Simon H from the Sea Search Research and Conservation. They partnered with Fatih Sarigol, an evolutionary biologist, and A.Rus Hoelzel, a biologist from Durham University. The team performed a DNA analysis of the gray whale’s genomes. Additionally, they compared with other samples stored at the US National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Their research led to the shocking discovery that the gray whale found off the Namibian coast was directly related to an endangered population of western gray whales in the Northern Pacific oceans. According to their study, only 200 western gray whales remain in the world.