Whales are considered very intelligent and emotional marine mammals. In a recent case of mammal and human conflict, a grey whale made a captain of a tourist boat its friend and sought his help to remove the parasite from its head.
In the video, that has amazed the internet, a grey whale can be seen approaching the captain of a small boat to seek his help in removing whale lice, which is a kind of parasite found on whale skin. The captain was constantly picking the creature from its skin, and the grey whale was responding to his cues to enjoy its grooming session with a human friend.
According to The Guardian, the video footage was shot in the Ojo de Liebre lagoon off the coast of Baja California, Mexico. The human friend of the whale was the captain of a small boat, identified as Paco Jimenez Franco.
Sharing his experience with his whale friend, Paco Jimenez Franco told a US news site that he has been doing the same thing repeatedly with the same whale and also with others, reported The Guardian. “It is very exciting for me,” he said.
For Franco, things started when a grey whale came very close to him, and he removed the lice for once. The gesture was enough to encourage the whale to approach Franco to continue its personal ‘grooming’ session.
What is whale lice?
Whale lice are also called cyamids. These creatures have pale, crab-like structures and they continuously crawl on the animal’s head. They share a healthy symbiotic relationship with whales as they help in eating algae on whales’ bodies. Moreover, cyamids also feed on flaking skin and the sites of wounds. But despite all the help, they continue to irritate the giant mammal, reported The Guardian.
Whales have sensitive skin and the presence of these tiny creatures on their bodies might cause them huge inconvenience.
Due to their slow pace, not just grey whales, but great whales, humpbacks, and right whales are also prone to the growth of parasites on their skin.
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Updated: 09 Jul 2023, 08:06 AM IST
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