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Gray whale rostrum covered in the endemic Cryptolepas rhachianecti barnacles and cyamids often called whale lice. Whale barnacles typically attach to baleen whales and have a commensal relationship–the barnacle benefits and the whale is neither helped nor harmed. [3] A single humpback whale may carry up to 450 kg (990 lb) of barnacles. [21]
On the right whale, the parasites live mainly on callosities (raised callus-like patches of skin on the whales' heads). The clusters of white lice contrast with the dark skin of the whale, and help researchers identify individual whales because of the lice clusters' unique shapes. The lice predominantly eat algae that settle on the host's body ...
The species is now only known from the northern Pacific Ocean where gray whales are found. The gray whale was present in the northern Atlantic Ocean between the Late Pleistocene and recent times, and C. rhachianecti fossils have been found on a beach in the Netherlands, showing that the barnacle must also have been present. [3]
Many parasites and epibiotics latch onto whales, notably whale lice and whale barnacles. Almost all species of whale lice are specialized towards a certain species of whale, and there can be more than one species per whale. Whale lice eat dead skin, resulting in minor wounds in the skin.
Photos show close-ups of the whale’s skin and barnacles. The huge sea creature was close enough for boaters to see its barnacles. Monterey Bay Whale Watch / Daniel Bianchetta.
The bodies of humpbacks host barnacles and whale lice. Like other large whales, the humpback was a target for the whaling industry. Humans once hunted the species to the brink of extinction : its population fell to around 5,000 by the 1960s.
Once common throughout the Northern Hemisphere, gray whales are now only regularly found in the North Pacific Ocean. Gray whale spotted off Florida coast. Here's why the sighting is so unusual
It also appeared to have a significant amount of whale lice, which is often an indicator of poor health. “We are hopeful that with the gear off it will make a full recovery,” he said.