Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026

Training Rats to Voluntarily Dive Underwater: Investigations of the Mammalian Diving Response
Published on: November 12, 2014
Diving mammals
1Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA. pponganis@ucsd.edu
Abstract:
The ability of diving mammals to forage at depth on a breath hold of air is dependent on gas exchange, both in the lung and in peripheral tissues. Anatomical and physiological adaptations in the respiratory system, cardiovascular system, blood and peripheral tissues contribute to the remarkable breath-hold capacities of these animals. The end results of these adaptations include efficient ventilation, enhanced oxygen storage, regulated transport and delivery of respiratory gases, extreme hypoxemic/ischemic tolerance, and pressure tolerance.
Related Concept Videos
Diversity of Protists III
Diversity of Protists II
Deep Sea Microbial Ecology
Parental Care
Diversity of Protists IV
Diversity of Protists I
