00:03if you've ever been whale watching you might have seen a whale wearing some of this kelp as a hat
00:08but why do some of our planet's largest mammals don the green stuff to wear around their oceanic
00:13homes well marine biologists are finally figuring that out the practice is called kelping and
00:18multiple whale species take part including gray whales southern and northern right whales and
00:23humpback whales researchers have now gathered kelping data from sightings from all over the
00:28world and they're finally narrowing down the why they say it's likely playful in nature however it
00:33could also provide utility as well they suggest helping could scratch an itch or perhaps help
00:38barnacles fall off or maybe even remove whale lice whale lice is a parasite that is known to bother
00:43whales and cause them discomfort and stress kelp also has antibacterial properties the whales might
00:48be hoping to take advantage of as well okay so we've covered the why now the question is how do
00:53they get it on there biologists say the sightings most frequently occur in areas where kelp blooms
00:57are prevalent and more recent drone videos have actually observed whales seeking the kelp out
01:02specifically they have even been observed helping each other balance the kelp on each other's heads
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