top of page

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.
bottom of page