Average nanorough skin surface of the pilot whale (Globicephala melas, Delphinidae): considerations on the self-cleaning abilities based on nanoroughness

Abstract.

In aquatic environments, the biofouling process is assumed to initiate from the conditioning layer of absorbed organic carbon residues on wetted surfaces. Microfouling organisms attach to this conditioning layer, building up a biofilm on which further biofouling proceeds. In dolphins, biofouling reduces hydrodynamic efficiency and may negatively affect health if not managed. In the present study we examined the skin surface of the pilot whale (Globicephala melas). Employing cryo-scanning electron microscopic techniques combined with various sample preparations, the skin displayed an average nanorough surface characterized by a pattern of nanoridge-enclosed pores; the average pore size (approximately 0.20 µm²) was below the size of most marine biofouling organisms. Further, the implications of this type of surface to the self-cleaning abilities of the skin of pilot whales are discussed, based on reduced available space for biofouler attachment, the lack of any particular microniches as shelters for biofoulers, and the challenges of turbulent water flow and liquid–air interfaces during surfacing and jumping of the dolphin.