Researchers led by Dr Vanessa Pirotta, a marine scientist with Macquarie University, recently publishedPirotta said they showed that since his first sighting in 1991, Migaloo often had gaps of a few years where he would not be spotted.“Despite the fact that he’s so distinctive, he’s just one whale and it’s a big ocean,” she said.
Migaloo is estimated to be in his early 30s, with humpback’s natural lifespan between 50 and 80 years, so researchers don’t believe Migaloo has died of old age yet., after their numbers grew from just 1500 individuals at the height of the whaling trade to over 40,000 today in the East Australian group alone.
“He doesn’t travel alone, he’s usually in a pod of other whales, which could make him more difficult to spot,” Franklin said.