What’s on that whale?!

This close up of whale skin shows a community of living creatures. Gray Whales have two common hitchhikers on their bodies: barnacles and whale LICE. 

But whale lice aren’t lice at all; they’re a type of amphipod crustacean called cyamids. And each species of cyamid is unique to a species of whale! To survive, cyamids hitch a ride on a whale and munch bits of its skin and flesh. If the whale is healthy these parasites don’t harm it - a commensal relationship. If a whale is covered in them it is often an indication of illness or injury.

Photo by refuge volunteer Roy W. Lowe (via: Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuges)