Humpback whales have their own “skincare routine,” according to a study by Australian researchers.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />The team made the discovery by monitoring pods of humpback whales as they migrated south between August 2021 and October 2022.<br /><br />“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.
