Arabian Sea Whales Are Earth’s Most Isolated and Endangered Population

Humpback whales inhabiting the Arabian Sea are the most genetically distinct humpback whales and may be the most isolated population on earth, researchers report. With fewer than 100 estimated individuals, they are “definitely the most endangered” population of humpbacks, said Wildlife Conservation Society researcher Howard Rosenbaum. The Arabian humpbacks’ known range is limited to waters near Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Pakistan, and India, and possibly the Maldives and Sri Lanka, researchers say. Genetic data suggest they have remained separate from other humpback whale populations for 70,000 years — extremely unusual in a species famed for annual migrations of 9,000 kilometers or more. The genetic separation is likely reinforced by their breeding schedule, researchers say. While Arabian humpbacks breed on a northern hemisphere schedule, their closest neighbors breed on a southern schedule.