Humpback whales have a ‘skincare routine’, according to researchers
- last year
Humpback whales have their own “skincare routine,” according to a study by Australian researchers.
Academics from Griffifth University, in Nathan, Brisbane, discovered that the marine mammals use sandy, shallow bay areas to “roll” around and remove dead skin cells.
The team made the discovery by monitoring pods of humpback whales as they migrated south between August 2021 and October 2022.
“Removing excess skin is likely a necessity to maintain a healthy bacterial skin community. Humpback whales can remove some barnacles and skin through surface activity such as breaches but not all,” marine ecologist Dr Olaf Meynecke said.
Academics from Griffifth University, in Nathan, Brisbane, discovered that the marine mammals use sandy, shallow bay areas to “roll” around and remove dead skin cells.
The team made the discovery by monitoring pods of humpback whales as they migrated south between August 2021 and October 2022.
“Removing excess skin is likely a necessity to maintain a healthy bacterial skin community. Humpback whales can remove some barnacles and skin through surface activity such as breaches but not all,” marine ecologist Dr Olaf Meynecke said.