There has always been uncertainty around the world about how whales breathe. Today we bring you an article that will explain everything about this topic. Whales are considered one of the largest mammals in the world, and some of their species are also the largest in the marine world. Now, let's learn about the breathing of these majestic cetaceans.
Where do whales breathe?
The first thing we should know, besides the fact that whales have lungs, like other mammals, is that they breathe through blowholes. Do you know what they are? First of all, you should keep in mind that whales belong to the cetacean group, and that these, in turn, have undergone various changes that have contributed to much simpler and more efficient breathing. The first thing that happened was that their nostrils went from being on their faces to being on the top of their heads.
Due to this adaptation, the nose stopped bearing that name and became a spiracle, this would be the hole where do whales breatheThis change has made breathing much easier for these animals, as they are located on the upper part of their bodies, so they don't need to exert much effort to breathe, as they only have to float on the surface of the water to do so.
Unlike other mammals, whales cannot breathe through their mouths, as their respiratory and oral ducts are completely separate. This is extremely beneficial for them, as it eliminates the risk of drinking water reaching their lungs and drowning them. It is worth noting that there are types of whales that instead of having a spiracle they have two, these are the baleen whales.
How do whales breathe?
Whales' breathing is usually practically voluntary, which differs from other mammals. This means that during the time the whale spends on the sea surface, it is forced to exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen fairly rapidly. This means that, during a whale's breathing, oxygen enters and carbon dioxide exits simultaneously. Whale lungs, specifically the alveoli, are perfectly adapted to allow for this simultaneous exchange when they breathe.
Many people believe that whales can only expel the air stored in their lungs when they are above the water's surface, but this is not true. They can also expel it while underwater, which is how they create their bubble net, which can trap some fish. The bubbles travel through the water until they reach the top of the net. However, oxygen inhalation only occurs when the animal is at the surface.
Whales only have one type of respiration, just like all other mammals do, and that is pulmonary respiration. We refer to this when oxygen and carbon dioxide pass through the lungs where the exchange takes place that allows animals to breathe.
Whale breathing process
This entire process begins with the expulsion of carbon dioxide (CO2). While the whale is in the water, it can expel it, and it will rise to the surface in the form of bubbles. However, when the whale exhales out of the water, this process involves releasing a large amount of air and water through its blowhole, creating a spectacle that many enjoy watching. Many people call these expulsions of water "blows," but what do they mean by that? Let's see.
When we talk about the blowing of whales, we're referring to the sound they make when they rapidly empty their lungs by exhaling carbon dioxide. This tells us that when we see a whale putting on a show of expelling air and water through its blowhole, what it's actually doing is expelling all the air stored in its lungs.
This process can happen so quickly because whales have lungs perfectly adapted for this purpose. Even their chest muscles are especially strong and flexible, allowing them to compress their lungs so powerfully that they are almost completely devoid of air. This also helps store oxygen for the extended period of time whales spend underwater without surfacing.
After the whale expels air rapidly, it will begin to fill its lungs again, but this time much more slowly. After this action, its blowhole will close to prevent oxygen from escaping and water from entering. At this point, the whale can dive into the water and begin to swim.
Many believe that whale lungs must be extremely large compared to those of land mammals, but this is not the case; they are actually no larger. However, we can affirm that their capacity for expansion and suppression is much greater, meaning they can breathe in and out much more deeply than other mammals. The length of time a whale can hold its breath, and the pattern created during its breath, tends to vary depending on the species and the animal's activity.
Whales cannot swim too deep, as they risk their lungs collapsing due to the pressure. They can dive to a maximum depth of 50 to 100 meters. As the whale dives, the air contained in its alveoli will pass from there to the trachea and bronchi, which have greater resistance to the pressure that maintains the accumulated air as they dive deeper.
Other adaptations associated with the breathing of whales
We've already learned about the adaptations whales have undergone in their respiratory tracts. Now, let's learn how they've even changed their circulatory systems in certain ways to make the gas exchange process more feasible and simpler. Let's learn what they are:
- There is a network of blood vessels known as the "rete mirabile" located in the thorax of whales. These vessels store oxygen-rich blood in the animal's extremities, which it uses as a reserve while submerged in the sea.
- Mammals have a muscle molecule responsible for moving blood through the muscles, known as myoglobin. It is 10 to 30 times larger in cetaceans than in other mammals.
- Furthermore, whales, in particular, have much larger blood vessels. If a whale species can stay underwater longer, its blood vessels will be larger than those that spend less time submerged. This is extremely important because it allows them to retain more oxygen.
- Another important variation is that whales have the ability to supply less blood to less important organs, and only maintain normal blood flow to vital organs. In this way, oxygenation is especially focused on those organs essential for their survival.
How do whales breathe when they sleep?
One of the most curious things about whales, like other cetaceans, is that they have a unique way of sleeping that allows them to breathe without interrupting their sleep. How is this? Well, it's very simple. Unlike other mammals, whales need to partially emerge from the water to breathe, so they can't sleep deeply. So they've created their own sleep system.
This system is known as "unihemispheric sleep", it consists of only allowing one hemisphere of your brain to sleep or rest while the other remains active, it is like this how do whales and dolphins breathe, even this is also one of the Shark characteristics, since they have this same capacity for rest. This way, they can sleep without sinking, stopping swimming, or breathing.
The adaptability of these animals has allowed them to achieve a unique sleep pattern, as it could be said that whales literally "half-sleep." This is how they can rise to the surface to breathe at a predetermined time and, at the same time, remain asleep. A magnificent example of how extraordinary nature is and how it can adapt in incredible ways to enable different species to survive the changes occurring on Earth.
