The article, titled “Humpback whales inflate throat pleats to rub against the seafloor for skin maintenance” examined four instances of whales off the coast of Bermuda inflating their oral pouches to rub across the sea floor for the purpose of removing pests known as whale lice. Conducted by Werth and his colleague Andrew Stevenson at WhalesBermuda, this research was also highlighted in the multidisciplinary science journal Nature, which observed that “expanding the mouth requires considerable energy, so the feeling of relief whales obtain from a good sand scratch…must be worth the cost.”
This is Dr. Werth’s fourth publication in just the first four months of 2024.