Humpback Whale Makes The Longest Documented Mammal Journey With a 6,200-Mile Swim
Forrest Gumpback's distinctive tail markings Allied WhaleJust a little jaunt from Brazil down to the Southern Ocean and then back up the African Coast to Madagascar If you think that time you biked from Philly to New York was an epic journey, this humpback whale would like a word with you. She swam from Brazil all the way to Madagascar, probably by way of the Southern Ocean--a distance of about 6,200 miles, the longest documented journey ever made by a mammal. The whale in question, a female humpback (formally named "Whale 1363," but which I have decided to name Forrest Gumpback in honor of her travelling spirit), was spotted just off the east coast of Brazil in 1999. The whale was identified by her unique markings on the underside of her tail, which according to Boston.com resemble a face (albeit a fairly abstract one). Forrest Gumpback was then photographed two years...