Whales Get Sunburns, Too

A trip to the beach may require an extra layer of sunscreen---and not just for you landlubbers. Marine biologists in Canada and Mexico have shown that increased exposure to the sun darkens certain whale species' skin. As in humans, UV rays trigger an increase of the pigment in whales' skin, creating a tan of sorts. In some cases they even burn and blister. And like people, whales accumulate such sun-caused damage to the DNA in their skin as they age. For three years, researchers took skin samples from blue, sperm and fin whales at various points during their sun-seeking annual migrations, and they published their results in Scientific Reports today. Blue whales are pretty pale, so during their sunny spring migration, the researchers found increases in pigment and the same kinds of DNA damage in sunburned human skin. Fin whales were the darkest; their skin was already heavily pigmented, so ...