Lone grey whale sets longest migration record after swimming halfway round the world

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A grey whale is believed to have set the longest migration record for a mammal – excluding humans – after swimming halfway round the world. Though grey whales’ have occasionally been spotted in the Atlantic Ocean after leaving the North Pacific Ocean, none had ever been seen in the southern hemisphere before. Professor Rus Hoezel, from the University of Durham’s department of biosciences told the New Scientist: “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.” “That’s as far as any vertebrate has ever gone in water, as far as we know.” In comparison, the Arctic tern has the longest-distance migration of any bird, and covers a similar distance to the lone grey whale, as they move from their Arctic breeding grounds to Antarctic non-breeding areas, covering around 22,000km. The researchers said the confirmation of the whale’s origin “contributes to our understanding of Atlantic sightings of this species known primarily from the North Pacific, and could have conservation implications if grey whales have the potential for essentially global dispersion.