Gulls off the coast of Argentina have developed a peculiar food habit: pecking at whales' back fat. The birds used to feed on skin shed by the whales, but they figured out how to go straight to the source. The birds — kelp gulls — used to feed off sheets of skin from right whales, which the animals naturally shed. The birds flutter about waiting for the whales to surface, then they pounce, pecking at the whale's hide to get to the blubber. "Our analysis supports recent studies indicating that gull harassment at Peninsula Valdés may impact southern right whales population dynamics," the scientists said in the study.

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Persons: —, peck, Mariano Sironi, wildestanimal, LUIS ROBAYO Organizations: Service, Gulls, Instituto, New York Times, Times, Getty Locations: Argentina, Conservación, Ballenas, AFP