(E.B.W.) Critter Corner
Feature:
How pale whales keep from getting sunburned
“VANCOUVER-
Some pale whales appear to tan to protect themselves from sunburn…
An international team of scientists
took mitochondrial DNA samples from blue whales, fin whales, & sperm whales
to check for genetic damage from ultraviolet rays.
They found that higher melanin
levels in the whale’s skin correlated with lower levels of skin lesions &
DNA damage, suggesting melanin protects the ocean mammals from sun damage.
‘We found molecular evidence that
blue whales increase production of melanin, so this would indicate that they
tan’…
‘Increasing their pigmentation
(tanning) appears to be the way blue whales protect themselves from UV damage.’
They also found that the ability to
modify skin pigment-or tan- may be linked to migration patterns.
Blue whales are believed to be the
largest animal to have ever lived on Earth at up to 30 metres in length with
hearts that can weigh as much as a car. They’re found in every ocean in the
world, spending summers in polar waters before migrating toward the Equator for
winter…
In contrast, fin whales, the blue
whale’s darker-skinned, stay-at-home cousins, showed a reduced ability to
change the level of melanin in their skin.
Rather, fins maintained higher
levels of melanin & had the lowest prevalence of sunburn lesions…
Other ocean species have been shown
to tan…including hammerhead sharks & some fish…”
Dene Moore
THE
CANADIAN PRESS
in The
Gazette, Montreal
August
31/2013
Cute Critter Pic
Dene Moore
Weekly Chuckle
Canadian Links:
Humane Society: https://www.humanesociety.com/
International Fund for Animal Welfare: www.ifaw.org/canada/
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