The seals have a “superzmysł”, thanks to which they do not drown

Doctor Chris McKnight from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland conducted research on gray seals. He wanted to check why these animals can hold their breath under water much longer than other species. He discovered that they have a superzmysm, thanks to which they simply know what oxygen level they have in their blood. Thanks to this skill, they are aware of how long they can be under water and do not.

“The discovery of such a fundamental aspect of the evolution of marine mammals is extremely exciting,” said Dr. McKnight. The article on this subject was published on Thursday in the journal “Science”.

Although scientists were already aware of how mammals could hold their breath for a long time, they did not know that they could assess the length of their dives.

To cover this, for almost a year, McKnight watched six young gray seals in the university research unit for marine mammals, checking how they adapt their behavior to the amount of oxygen available.

During the observation, the researcher noticed that the high availability of oxygen had a positive impact on the duration of each dive, but carbon dioxide remained indifferent to the seals. This showed that seals are not sensitive to carbon dioxide like other species. – This is one of the animals best adapted to life – emphasized the researcher.