First evidence of bidirectional exchange between distant humpback whale breeding populations in eastern Australia and Brazil
Cristina Castro Ayala·Renata S. Sousa‐Lima·Milton C.C. Marcondes·Julio Cardoso·Ted Cheeseman·Jens J. Currie·Arlaine Francisco·Marilia Olio·Bianca Righi·Silke Stuckenbrock·Stephanie H. Stack
Abstract Movements between humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breeding stocks are exceedingly rare, and exchange between distant breeding grounds in both directions has not previously been documented between eastern Australia and Brazil. Using 19 283 curated photo-identification images from eastern Australia (breeding stock E1 (BSE1)) and Brazil (breeding stock A (BSA)) collected between 1984 and 2025, we identified two individuals photographed in both areas, representing the first recorded