Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are master migrators. Humpback whale numbers in Australia crashed during the peak of the whaling industry, particularly during the 1960s and 1970s. “The Eastern Australia humpback population narrowly escaped extinction, but now there are 30, 40, or 50,000 in this population alone. While this particular study can’t answer why humpback whales risk migrating if they can give birth further south, it’s possible that other factors are driving migration. [ Related: Humpback whales use bubble-nets as ‘tools.’ ]According to the team, there are several conservation implications in these findings.