The question is more than just academic. Understanding how marine mammals find their way and locate their food resources is critical for predicting how looming environmental changes will affect their survival. What if climate change affects the ocean currents and temperatures they rely on as signposts? If environmental changes or human actions such as industrial development or over-fishing affect the movement or location of their prey, how will the find it? Is their travel ingrained by evolution, or do they have the capacity to adapt to a swiftly changing world?
