Killer whales travel from Antarctic home to South America for sun spa

[malaise]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45039833#.TqgasHLQPUl
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In a little over a month, Antarctic killer whales trek from their chilly residence to the warm waters off the coast of South America and back, researchers have found. The whales spend their "tropical vacation" letting their skin slough off, replacing the old with new.

"It was a surprise to us that they undertook this rapid migration to the warm tropical waters," study researcher John Durban, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told LiveScience. "It's like swimming from New York to London and back in a month."

This fast-paced migration seems to be an adaptation to the cold waters of the Antarctic, which have ample food for the whales but can quickly strip the heat from their skin and stop the whales from regenerating and shedding their outer layers. This is the first migration of killer whales that researchers have observed.

Each of the tagged whales, if given enough tracking time, eventually made their way north into the Atlantic Ocean. They traveled just far enough to reach the tropical waters off South America, where they slowed their pace slightly, still heading north. Eventually they turned back toward the South Pole. Round trip their vacation covered more than 5,000 ocean-faring miles in about 40 days.
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Fascinating indeed!!

[xchrom]

1. amazing. nt

[formercia]

2. Road Trip!!

Ooo Rah!!