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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Environment
Donna Lu Assistant editor, climate, environment and science

Twenty-two years and 15,000km later: fluke discovery sets new record for humpback whale journey

The humpback which was photographed in Bahia, Brazil and then at Hervey Bay, Australia
A humpback photographed in the Abrolhos Bank, Brazil and then at Hervey Bay, Australia has been identified by its fluke – the underside of its tail. Photograph: Pacific Whale Foundation

A humpback whale has made a 15,000km journey from Brazil to Australia, marking what researchers believe is the longest distance ever documented between sightings of an individual humpback.

The whale was first photographed in 2003 at the Abrolhos Bank, Brazil’s main humpback whale nursery, off the coast of the north-eastern state of Bahia. In September 2025, it was spotted again in Hervey Bay off the Queensland coast, representing a travel distance of about 15,100km.

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