For the first time, humpback whales have been captured on camera engaging in a unique behavior of self-care as they enjoy a sandy spa to scrub themselves.

Humpback whales rolling around in the sandy seafloor to give their skin a good scrub. Image credit: Olaf Meynecke

Video footage has revealed humpback whales engaging in a remarkable behavior: using a sandy spa to rid their substantial bodies of dead skin cells, much like land mammals do. While this behavior has been suggested before, it is the first time researchers have managed to capture the animals on camera as they roll around in the sand on the sea bed.

The sand bathing happens in shallow bay areas, where the whales engage in a self-administered exfoliation treatment by utilizing the fine sand to eliminate barnacles and ectoparasites. With the aid of suction cup cameras, one can now experience a humpback whale’s perspective and witness what a cetacean spa entails.

As you can see, it’s not only the whales that enjoy this behavior. Fish actively feed from their skin while they are exhibiting it in Gold Coast Bay in southeast Queensland, Australia, where the video was taken.

In a recent paper published in the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, the researchers propose that the whales deliberately choose appropriate locations for this purpose during their migration towards cooler waters in the south.

Sources: 1, 2