Kite-Casanova crossed three oceans, setting an all-time record for all species. What was his rush?

A male humpback whale swam 13,046 kilometers from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean — in simple terms, he crossed at least three oceans, inadvertently setting a record for the longest distance traveled by the species. Researchers noted that during this time, the whale mingled with various populations of whales, and now they believe they know where he was headed, reports Live Science.

The researchers concluded that this male humpback whale's journey marked the longest great circle distance between two observations ever recorded for this species (Megaptera novaeangliae). It is important to note that the great circle distance refers to the shortest path between two points on the planet, measured on the spherical surface of the Earth.

The whale's journey began off the coast of Colombia in the eastern Pacific and ended off the coast of Zanzibar in the southwestern Indian Ocean. In total, the marine giant covered 13,046 kilometers around the globe.

It is believed that the male maintained a course eastward from Colombia, following the prevailing currents in the Southern Ocean and likely visiting other populations of humpback whales in the Atlantic. According to co-author of the study, Ted Cheeseman, a PhD candidate at Southern Cross University in Australia and director of Happywhale, observing this whale was a sort of revelation. Initially, scientists suspected there might have been some error, but the facts are undeniable: the whale indeed traveled an immense distance, crossing at least three oceans and visiting other populations of humpback whales, exploring more remote areas than any other whale known to science.

Typically, humpback whales follow consistent migration patterns, moving between feeding grounds in colder waters and breeding sites closer to the tropics. Studies have shown that whales generally swim about 8,000 kilometers north-south each year; however, they are not inclined to move far east-west. Additionally, scientists previously thought that during their journeys, whales did not interbreed with other populations.

As shown by the new study, this male humpback whale was moving in ways that broke all the rules. Scientists now believe that humpback whale migrations may be more flexible than previously thought. It’s worth noting that scientists have occasionally documented similar migrations in the past. For instance, between 1999 and 2001, a female humpback whale traveled 9,800 km from Brazil to Madagascar. This year, a male humpback whale set a new record.

According to the lead author of the study, biologist Ekaterina Kalashnikova, she and her colleagues managed to document significant information about humpback whale ecology. It should be noted that this discovery was made based on photos taken between 2013 and 2022. The photographs depicted the same mature male in two locations off the coast of Colombia, and then five years later in the Zanzibar Strait, each time accompanied by a competing group.

Scientists believe that the motivation behind this record-breaking journey was sex — thus the male increased his chances of reproduction by mingling with members of other populations. Other reasons for the whale’s unusual adventure may be related to environmental changes affecting food distribution, climate change, and the growing population of humpback whales, which intensifies competition among males during feeding and breeding periods, according to the study.