Humans have discovered ways to get rid of old, dead skin cells – and it turns out humpback whales have made this self-care advancement, too.
were seen "performing full and side rolls" in water that was up to 160 feet deep and lined with fine sand or rubble, according to Griffith University.
The video was captured between August 2021 and October 2022 during the whales’ southern migration to cooler waters. "On all occasions of sand rolling, the whales were observed on video to be slowly moving forward with their head first into the sand followed by rolling to one side or a full roll," said marine ecologist Dr. Olaf Meynecke.
Meynecke added that researchers most commonly saw the whales’ sand rolling in the context of socializing, such as following courtship or competition. Whales can remove some dead skin and barnacles through surface activity such as breaching, according to Meynecke, but sand rolling also plays an integral role – especially in removing barnacles. Fish seen feeding on a whale's dead skin cells. Credit: Griffith University/Dr.
Skin from the whales was observed to be falling off during the process of all identified rolls, the university said, and some smaller fish were even seen feeding from the whales’ skin.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
Ambitious genome project shows how humans fit with other mammalsScientists on Thursday unveiled the results of a project comparing the genomes of 240 mammal species - from aardvarks and aye-ayes to zebus and zebras, as well as people - to trace evolutionary changes spanning 100 million years, pinpointing genetic traits widely shared and those more uniquely human.
Lire la suite »
How this photographer captured the uneasy coexistence between elephants and humans'It's a really complex story, and at the heart of it all, their survival in the wild is going to be based on how much we care about them,' says photographer Brent Stirton.
Lire la suite »
The Tech Helping Dogs Learn to 'Talk' With HumansUsing nose-activated vests and touchscreens, our canine pals are being trained to summon help for their handlers—and much more.
Lire la suite »
This Massive Cadillac WEC Crash Shows Why Spa Is Still TerrifyingRenger van der Zande was unhurt after the massive shunt at Eau Rouge.
Lire la suite »
Walmart's suppliers would rather negotiate with AI than a human | EngadgetWalmart is using AI to negotiate supplier deals, and the bot is more popular than humans..
Lire la suite »
Experimental MS Treatment Reverses Paralysis in Mice, Scientists ReportMicroscopic backpacks full of drugs designed to stick to troublesome immune cells have been shown to improve the health of mice with a condition similar to multiple sclerosis in humans.
Lire la suite »