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Mongabay: Scientists Discover A New Whale Highway After Tagging A Pygmy Blue Whale By Drone

Claire Turrell

18 Feb 2026

Scientists in Indonesia have tagged a pygmy blue whale for the first time using a drone

Indonesian scientists have attached a satellite tag onto an endangered pygmy blue whales for the first time by drone.

The tag’s data not only revealed a new feeding site for the species (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda), but also a previously undocumented path it takes to the South Antarctic.

Unlike Antarctic blue whales, pygmy blue whales prefer tropical waters and are found in the Indian Ocean. They’re known to migrate between the west coast of Australia and Indonesia. However, their journey south between Indonesia and Australia is rarely documented and their habits are more of a mystery.

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