A new study conducted by researchers from Griffith University reveals how humpback whales make a stop by Gold Coast Bay to have their own exfoliation routine in sandy and shallow areas.
Humpback Whale Exfoliation
According to National Geographic, humpback whales can be spotted across every ocean in the whole world. Known for their magical songs, these creatures have light bellies, dark bats, throat pleats, and small humps situated on their dorsal fins. For this reason, they are referred to as humpbacks.
Science Daily reports that humpback whales make use of shallow and sandy bay areas for them to roll around and exfoliate. They do so for dead skin removal as they move from south toward cooler waters. The study was detailed in the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering.
Dr. Olaf Meynecke, the study's lead author and a marine ecologist of Griffith, made use of suction tags, also known as CATS tags, in order to monitor traveling whales from August 2021 to October 2022. As per Earth.com, these CATS tags had a VHG transmitter for retrieval purposes, a high-definition video, a system for magnesium release, several magnetometers, a hydrophone, and sensors for GPS, pressure, and light.
With the footage and data that the CATS tags collected, researchers observed that whales did side and full rolls at 49-meter ocean depths. They did so on the seafloor filled with rubble or fine sand.
Dr. Meynecke notes that in all sand rolling instances, the humpbacks slowly press forward with their heads diving first into the sand. This was succeeded by either a side or full roll.
The researchers think that these humpback whales exfoliate with sand in order to remove and molt ectoparasites, including barnacles, and specifically choose areas where they can perform such behaviors.
In addition, on several occasions, sand rolling was seen to have a social context. It either followed competition, courtship, or other socialization forms.
Why Do Humpback Whales Exfoliate?
Earth.com adds that across subtropical and tropical waters, barnacles link themselves to humpbacks during stages of early life. Because of this, whales need to frequently remove these creatures in order to prevent excessive growth that may, in turn, cause energy loss.
On top of this, various skin bacteria also dwell atop whales. If these bacteria accumulate, they may pose serious risks when open wounds are present. Hence, the removal of surplus skin is vital to maintain a community of healthy skin bacteria on humpback whales.
Observations also showed that humpbacks were not the only ones that benefited from this spa session. Fish, including the juvenile silver trevally, actually consume the fallen skin. This was similar to coral reef cleaning stations. This suggests that the humpbacks' exfoliating behaviors do not just benefit whale health but also help the ecosystem.
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