The Sun's rays can burn whales' skin, just like they can damage human skin, according to a team of researchers.
The scientists studied more than 150 whales in the Gulf of California.
By taking photographs and skin samples, the US and Mexico-based team found the whales had blisters that were caused by sun damage.
The report in the Royal Society journal, Proceedings B, concluded that darker skinned whales showed fewer signs of sun damage.
The team was interested in the effects of increasing levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on wildlife.
Laura Martinez-Levasseur, from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Queen Mary, University of London, led the study.
She explained that whales were a good model for this because they need to come to the surface to breathe air, to socialise and to feed their young, meaning that they are frequently exposed to the full force of the sun.
Ms Martinez-Levasseur and her colleagues from the marine research centre CICMAR, in Mexico, studied blue whales, sperm whales and fin whales over a period of three years.
They examined high resolution photographs of the whales' skin and took skin samples from areas that appeared to be blistered.
Examining the samples under the microscope revealed that the blisters were caused by sunburn.
The researchers examined blisters on the whales' skin
Link and rest of article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9173000/9173271.stm
The scientists studied more than 150 whales in the Gulf of California.
By taking photographs and skin samples, the US and Mexico-based team found the whales had blisters that were caused by sun damage.
The report in the Royal Society journal, Proceedings B, concluded that darker skinned whales showed fewer signs of sun damage.
The team was interested in the effects of increasing levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on wildlife.
Laura Martinez-Levasseur, from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Queen Mary, University of London, led the study.
She explained that whales were a good model for this because they need to come to the surface to breathe air, to socialise and to feed their young, meaning that they are frequently exposed to the full force of the sun.
Ms Martinez-Levasseur and her colleagues from the marine research centre CICMAR, in Mexico, studied blue whales, sperm whales and fin whales over a period of three years.
They examined high resolution photographs of the whales' skin and took skin samples from areas that appeared to be blistered.
Examining the samples under the microscope revealed that the blisters were caused by sunburn.
The researchers examined blisters on the whales' skin
Link and rest of article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9173000/9173271.stm
