MARINE MAMMALS
Your body something in common with whales.
WHAT DO I SHARE WITH WHALES?
So whats the deal with whales and us that makes us so special? What does a dog and you have in common with these deep sea divers? well to put it in a nutshell, your human body, just like any other mammal, is biologically adapted to being in, as well as diving deep in the ocean. It's in our DNA. This sophisticated evolutionary response to water is called the mammalian dive reflex.
Cape Fur Seal, Clifton
If you have ever wondered how some humans or even animals are able to dive to such great depth and hold their breath, its because of the dive reflex. Our bodies are amazingly adapted to water. As soon as your face hits water, your body begins to change dramatically. Your Heart-rate drops considerably, and your blood vessels narrow to restrict blood flow. Your blood flows away from your extremities and towards your vital organs. Your alveoli in your lungs pack themselves with blood, in order to prevent collapsing under the pressure of water. This is all done to allow mammals to be in water.
Southern Right Whale, Simonstown
The spleen has always been somewhat a mystery to science and biology, however we now know it serves a crucial function to diving mammals. The spleen stores rich red blood cells within itself. When we dive, our spleen releases this rich blood back into the bloodstream. This blood can be used to prevent lungs collapsing, allow extra oxygen to be absorbed, and to 'fill the gaps' where other blood is being used to keep vitals warm and lungs rigid. The spleen is crucial to diving deep in the sea, and that makes the fact that whales have 14 spleens, not too far-fetched.
Cape Fur Seal, Justins Caves
Diving alongside other air-breathing mammals is a spiritually soaring experience. There is something very special about connecting and sharing a moment wth another mammal, trapped in time, and in the moment of that single take of air, It's almost like there is a common acknowledgment between mammals underwater, and they always offer the most playful, inquisitive, and peaceful marine animal encounters.
Southern Right Whale, Simonstown