By Alimat Aliyeva

At one time, the population of Antarctic blue whales numbered more than two hundred thousand individuals. Today, however, these majestic marine mammals are on the brink of extinction, with their population dwindling to a mere three hundred. Despite this dramatic decline, the whales continue to form a single population in the Southern Ocean, Azernews reports.

Recent studies have revealed that blue whales often migrate between the three oceanic basins of the Southern Ocean, providing evidence of their interconnectedness. This valuable data could play a crucial role in the conservation of the species and efforts to rebuild their population.

"We found a high probability of interannual movement in almost all directions," said researchers. "Each year, 15 percent of blue whales from the Atlantic Basin moved to the Indian Basin and 29 percent to the Pacific Basin. 15 percent of the animals moved from the Indian Basin to the Atlantic, and 32 percent to the Pacific. 28 percent moved from the Pacific Basin to the Indian Basin, and 8 percent to the Atlantic Basin." These high rates of movement indicate that blue whales are not as strongly tied to specific feeding sites as previously believed, according to the publication Endangered Species Research.

This discovery challenges previous assumptions about the whales' behavior and opens new avenues for their protection. It highlights the importance of preserving the broader Southern Ocean ecosystem, which these whales rely on for food and migration. The findings also underscore the need for international collaboration to ensure the survival of the species, as their movement across such vast areas requires coordinated conservation efforts across multiple regions.