Monday 4 December 2017

Bowhead whales come to Cumberland Sound in Nunavut to exfoliate


Date:  November 22, 2017
Source:  University of British Columbia

Summary:
Aerial drone footage of bowhead whales in Canada's Arctic has revealed that the large mammals molt and use rocks to rub off dead skin.

The footage provides one answer to the mystery of why whales return to Cumberland Sound, Nunavut, every summer, and helps explain some unusual behavior that has been noted historically by Inuit and commercial whalers living and working in the area.

"This was an incidental observation," said Sarah Fortune, a PhD student at UBC's Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries and lead author of a new study based on the findings. "We were there to document their prey and feeding behavior, but we noticed some strange behavior near the shore."


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