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Updated: May 26, 2026
11:56
Training Rats to Voluntarily Dive Underwater: Investigations of the Mammalian Diving Response
Published on: November 12, 2014
High-altitude diving in river otters: coping with combined hypoxic stresses
Jamie R Crait1, Henry D Prange, Noah A Marshall
1Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA. craitj@uwyo.edu
The Journal of Experimental Biology
|December 23, 2011
Summary
High-elevation river otters show physiological adaptations for diving, but lower oxygen availability limits their aerobic dive limits. Food web disruptions may impact Yellowstone otters
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Ecology
- Zoology
Background:
- River otters (Lontra canadensis) inhabit diverse elevations, making them suitable models for studying physiological responses to high-altitude diving.
- Understanding these adaptations is crucial for assessing population health in changing environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the blood gas and chemistry of high-elevation river otters with a sea-level population.
- To investigate physiological adaptations to diving at altitude and their implications for foraging.
Main Methods:
- Blood gas analyses and blood chemistry comparisons between Yellowstone Lake (high-elevation) and Pacific coast (sea-level) river otter populations.
- Analysis of oxygen dissociation curves (ODC), hemoglobin concentrations, nitric oxide (NO) levels, and serum albumin concentrations.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in hemoglobin-oxygen (Hb-O(2)) binding affinity was observed between populations.
- High-elevation otters exhibited higher hemoglobin concentrations and elevated nitric oxide levels.
- Despite compensatory hematological changes, theoretical aerobic dive limits (ADL) were similar due to reduced oxygen availability at altitude.
Conclusions:
- River otters at high elevations possess physiological adaptations for diving, but oxygen constraints remain.
- Disruptions to the Yellowstone Lake food web could negatively affect otters by limiting their ability to access deep-water prey.
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