June 24, 2025, 10:38 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Some animals invest a lot of time in skin and fur care. Cats groom themselves, monkeys use grooming as a form of social interaction, and birds regularly preen their feathers. However, it was long unknown that whales also engage in skincare. Researchers have now discovered this through videos and photos.
Many animals have learned to use tools. This behavior is well-documented among primates and various parrot species. However, it was less known that different baleen whales and orcas exhibit similar behavior. Various whales apparently use seaweed for regular beauty treatments–they give themselves a proper algae scrub. Humpback whales swim thousands of miles to find the right plants, and orcas create “brushes” from seaweed for this purpose.
Studies Show How Marine Mammals Give Themselves Algae Treatments
It was already known that whales play with algae and seaweed. However, they seem to use playtime not only to hone their cognitive and motor skills but also for skincare. Researchers from Griffith University in Australia were able to prove through drone footage of various whales in 2023 that the animals use certain algae for scrubbing. This behavior, also known as “kelping,” had previously been observed in humpback whales.
The animals play with large seaweed clumps and rub against them, sometimes for over an hour. Other whales also use seaweed and algae as a scrub. This behavior is documented in gray whales and both southern and northern right whales. The latter has another unique feature, which you can learn more about in this article: This Animal Has the Heaviest Testicles in the World.
Recently, this behavior was also documented in killer whales, also known as orcas. They are not only skilled hunters but apparently also sophisticated “wellness” partners. Researchers have now documented for the first time that these marine mammals deliberately create and use tools–not for foraging, but for mutual skincare. A study shows that in the Salish Sea, orcas make pieces from seaweed to “brush” each other.
Orcas Practice “Allokelping”
A research group led by Michael N. Weiss from the Center for Whale Research and the University of Exeter has documented for the first time that wild killer whales create and use tools for social grooming. The observations are from spring and summer 2024 and were published in the journal “Current Biology” on June 23, 2025.
Using drones, the researchers filmed the behavior of southern resident killer whales (Orcinus orca ater) in the central Salish Sea off the Pacific coast of North America. They discovered a novel, complex social behavior they named “allokelping”–a cooperative use of seaweed for the simultaneous skincare of two whales. “Allogrooming” is documented in many mammals, and the researchers also consider this to be tool use by orcas. While tool use is widespread in the animal kingdom, such behavior is rare in marine environments, where known examples are mostly limited to the targeted use of tools for foraging, such as dolphins using sponges. Until now, there was no evidence that marine mammals deliberately made tools.
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Whales Produce Wellness Tools for a Scrub
Between April 10 and July 27, 2024, researchers filmed 30 episodes of “allokelping,” where at least two whales cooperated in body care. They specifically bit off short pieces of bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) stems to use them together to remove dead skin flakes.
The analysis showed that allokelping occurs more frequently between closely related animals and between individuals of the same age. The behavior is highly structured and shows no signs of play behavior.
The documented behaviors were observed in adult, healthy whales, mostly traveling alone or in groups. The results show that kelping is not an isolated case but a widespread behavior, documented in both hemispheres, with a focus in Canada, the United States, and Australia.
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Are Algae Not Just a Scrub but Also Medicine for Whales?
Videos showed whales actively picking up algae, rubbing against them, and sometimes even taking them into their mouths only to spit them out again, often accompanied by a spout. Notably, the animals deliberately approached the algae, repeating the behavior both alone and in groups.
During the investigation, they found that whales targeted various body areas that are often affected by bacteria. The upper jaw of the animals frequently came into contact with the algae, as did the areas of the lateral, dorsal, and tail fins.
Accordingly, the whales likely use the algae not only for cosmetic purposes and skin renewal but also to keep their stressed skin healthy and clean. Further studies are needed to determine whether this use of algae by marine mammals can also be considered “medicinal use.”