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Whale louse - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Whale louse is a parasitic crustacean of the family Cyamidae , the only family in the infraorder Cyamida . It is related to the better-known skeleton shrimp, most species of which are found ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_louse |
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These tiny crustaceans, known as cyamids and nicknamed 'whale lice,' are members of the species Cyamus ovalis. Cyamids, which range from one-fifths to three-fifths of an inch in length, depending on the species, live as parasites on whales.
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In an earlier post, I joked (well half joked) about the need to save the whale lice, even if you don't care about the right whales. ... The cyamids were named "whale lice" by early whalers in reference to their own head and body lice. Mmmmm fun! While not actual lice, they behave similarly in a few key ways.
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Geographic range: Sperm whale lice are found on sperm whales, which occur in all of the world's oceans. ... Behavior and reproduction: Sperm whale lice spread to other whales by jumping onto them when infested whales rub up against other whales. Whale calves are infested by amphipods that come off their mothers when...
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A Look at Lice ; Whale lice are another type of whale hitchhiker. Unlike barnacles, lice are true parasites. They feed on gray whale skin and damaged tissue. The lice gather around open wounds or scars. Whale lice may spread from mother whales to their calves during birth, nursing, or other bodily contact.
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Hutchinson encyclopedia article about Whale Lice. Whale Lice. Information about Whale Lice in the Hutchinson encyclopedia. ... (redirected from Whale Lice)
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Data about the evolution of tiny crustaceans called whale lice can reveal useful facts about the history of right whales. ... Right whales always swim with passengers aboard: small benign parasites called cyamids. The creatures, which 19th-century whalers nicknamed "whale lice," have coexisted with the whales for millennia.
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University of Utah biologists studied the genetics of "whale lice" -- small crustaceans that are parasites on endangered "right whales" -- and showed the giant whales split into three species 5 million to 6 million years ago, and that all three species probably were equally abundant before whaling reduced their numbers.
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COLOR: The gray whale received its name from the gray patches and white mottling on its dark skin. On the skin are many scratches, scattered patches of white barnacles, and orange whale lice. Newborn calves are dark gray to black, although some may have distinctive white markings.
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callosity A patch of rough thickened skin on the head of a right whale, often infested with whale lice. ... Cyamids Also called whale lice, they are members of the family Cyamidae. These crustaceans live on whales and feed on their skin. They usually accumulate on areas with reduced water flow. [illustration]
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