“One big difference is that whales are often traveling thousands of miles across ocean basins–great whales undertake the longest migration of any mammal,” says Roman. “So they connect areas close to the poles to tropical areas that are often nutrient-limited.”

A study led by researchers at the University of Vermont describes how whales can transport essential nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus thousands of miles away from rich feeding grounds in cold waters to warmer,

When whales migrate from their cold feeding grounds to warmer breeding waters, they carry tons of nutrients in their urine.