![]() ![]() If the barnacles get too big, they can actually cause drag that slows the whale down or requires it to work harder to swim at the same speed.īut the humpback whales migrating through the Pacific Ocean off Australia’s Gold Coast have devised a clever solution to this problem, according to a new paper published this spring in the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. These small, sticky crustaceans attach to whales’ skin and hitch a ride to filter more of the ocean’s nutrient-rich waters. But over time, a whale can be slowed down by animals that are a mere fraction of its size: barnacles. ![]() ![]() Despite their large size, whales are swift, sleek swimmers that can move through the water at high speeds. ![]()
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