First evidence of bidirectional exchange between distant humpback whale breeding populations in eastern Australia and Brazil

This study documents the longest recorded movement of an individual humpback whale, linking breeding grounds on opposite sides of the globe and revealing unprecedented connectivity between ocean basins. The finding has major implications for understanding humpback whale population structure, gene flow, and conservation management across the Southern Hemisphere.

Castro and Stack are joint first authors.

Altmetric score: 1,221 (top 5% of all research outputs). Coverage: Washington Post, BBC, People Magazine, LA Times, The Guardian, Yahoo News, and many others.

DOI: 10.1098/rsos.260251

Citation: Castro, C.*, Stack, S.H.*, Marcondes, M.C.C., Cardoso, J., Cheeseman, T., Currie, J.J., Francisco, A., Olio, M., Righi, B.M., Stuckenbrock, S., and Sousa-Lima, R.S. (2026). First evidence of bidirectional exchange between distant humpback whale breeding populations in eastern Australia and Brazil. Royal Society Open Science. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.260251. *Joint first authors.
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