Leatherback Turtles,Deep-Diving Adaptationslatest news update,Leatherback Turtles,Deep-Diving Adaptations;Leatherback Turtles,Deep-Diving Adaptations
The deep-sea is as far removed from atmospheric oxygen as anyplace on Earth, but a select few air breathers are undeterred. (No, I’m not referring to intrepid deep-sea human researchers.) These extraordinary critters frequently venture into the deep-sea, despite their vital link to air the above the ocean’s surface.
Colossal sperm whales plunge over 1,000 meters to battle giant squid in the dark abyss. Massive elephant seals chase prey more than an hour at depths > 1000 m. The deepest known divers are the beaked whales, with recorded dives to over 2,000 meters. What about turtles? Could a shelled reptile be suited for making dives where only a few whales and seals dare to go?Leatherback Turtles,Deep-Diving Adaptations
Leatherback turtles possess remarkable adaptations for long and deep dives. They have large onboard stores of oxygen in their blood and muscle, and special features like collapsible lungs (to avoid ‘the bends’), a pulmonary sphincter (to shunt blood flow away from the collapsed lungs and back to the body during dives), flexible shell (to respond to increased pressure at depth), and slowed heart rate (to conserve energy and oxygen stores). In fact, researchers have recorded leatherbacks diving to over 1,000 meters in different ocean basins (Doyle et al. 2008). Apparently, anything a whale can do, a turtle can, too.
Here’s a link to a National Geographic interactive showing leatherbacks’ anatomical and physiological adaptations for deep diving.Leatherback Turtles,Deep-Diving Adaptations
The deep-sea is as far removed from atmospheric oxygen as anyplace on Earth, but a select few air breathers are undeterred. (No, I’m not referring to intrepid deep-sea human researchers.) These extraordinary critters frequently venture into the deep-sea, despite their vital link to air the above the ocean’s surface.
Colossal sperm whales plunge over 1,000 meters to battle giant squid in the dark abyss. Massive elephant seals chase prey more than an hour at depths > 1000 m. The deepest known divers are the beaked whales, with recorded dives to over 2,000 meters. What about turtles? Could a shelled reptile be suited for making dives where only a few whales and seals dare to go?Leatherback Turtles,Deep-Diving Adaptations
Leatherback turtles possess remarkable adaptations for long and deep dives. They have large onboard stores of oxygen in their blood and muscle, and special features like collapsible lungs (to avoid ‘the bends’), a pulmonary sphincter (to shunt blood flow away from the collapsed lungs and back to the body during dives), flexible shell (to respond to increased pressure at depth), and slowed heart rate (to conserve energy and oxygen stores). In fact, researchers have recorded leatherbacks diving to over 1,000 meters in different ocean basins (Doyle et al. 2008). Apparently, anything a whale can do, a turtle can, too.
Here’s a link to a National Geographic interactive showing leatherbacks’ anatomical and physiological adaptations for deep diving.Leatherback Turtles,Deep-Diving Adaptations
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