Whales suffering from dramatic sunburn

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9173000/9173271.stm

Page last updated at 00:25 GMT, Wednesday, 10 November 2010
By Victoria Gill
Science and nature reporter, BBC News

By Victoria Gill
Science and nature reporter, BBC News

The Sun's rays can "burn" whales' skin, just like they can damage human skin, according to a team of researchers.

The scientists studied more than 150 whales in the Gulf of California.

By taking photographs and skin samples, the US and Mexico-based team found the whales had blisters that were caused by sun damage.

The report in the Royal Society journal, Proceedings B, concluded that darker skinned whales showed fewer signs of sun damage.

The team was interested in the effects of increasing levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on wildlife.

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"The increase in skin damage seen in blue whales is a matter of concern, but at this stage it is not clear what is causing this increase. A likely candidate is rising ultraviolet radiation as a result of either ozone depletion, or a change in the level of cloud cover."

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"We predict that whales will experience more severe sun damage if ultraviolet radiation continues to increase."

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