Whale Migration Tracker

Why do whales migrate?

Whale migration is driven by survival and relies on utilizing different ocean environments during different seasons:

• Summer (Feeding): Whales travel to cold, polar waters (like Alaska or Canada). During the summer, these waters receive huge amounts of sunlight, triggering massive blooms of phytoplankton, which in turn feed billions of krill and small fish. The whales feast continuously to build up their thick layer of blubber.
• Winter (Breeding): As ice forms and food dies off, whales migrate thousands of miles to warm, shallow waters near the equator (like Hawaii, Mexico, or Florida). These waters have very little food, but they are warm and safe from predators like Orcas. This is crucial because baby whales (calves) are born without enough blubber to survive cold polar waters.

During the entire migration and breeding season (often lasting over 6 months), adult whales rely entirely on their stored blubber for energy, effectively fasting until they return to the polar feeding grounds!