WHALE OF A TIME
When it comes to entertainment in the ocean, killer whales play with their prey, tossing sea lions into the air after hunting them down. Meanwhile, humpbacks experiment with fashion, carrying seaweed on their heads in a phenomenon known as kelping. The whales create wigs using large pieces of algae and seaweed called kelp. They will also play with the kelp, rolling around in it or just holding it in their mouths. Though scientists are still exploring the reasons behind their interactivity with seaweed, kelping is thought to be stimulating to their senses, a tool for social interaction as they pass it between them and a way to maintain skin health due to kelp’s antibacterial properties. Other ways in which humpbacks play with each other include slapping the water with their pectoral fins and breaching the water to make dramatic splashes in playful excitement.