Whales are some of the most majestic and intelligent creatures in the animal kingdom. Their massive size, ability to communicate over long distances, and complex social structures have fascinated humans for centuries. One of the more puzzling whale behaviors that scientists have observed is their habit of periodically rising to the surface of the ocean to fill up with air, taking in huge gulps before diving back down. This gas-filling behavior has led many to wonder – why do whales need to fill up with so much air in the first place?
Buoyancy Control
One of the main reasons whales need to fill up with air is to control their buoyancy while diving underwater. The whale’s body has similar density to the surrounding seawater. By filling up their lungs with air, they increase their overall volume and decrease their density, allowing them to float. Whales that are hunting for food need to be able to precisely control their depth in order to find prey and ambush from below. Gulping large volumes of air allows them to finetune their buoyancy and swim up and down through the water column.
As whales swim deeper, the increasing water pressure compresses the air in their lungs, decreasing their buoyancy. This helps counteract the lifting force and allows them to dive down to great depths. Before long, however, they need to return to the surface to inhale more air and become buoyant again. This alternating cycle of diving and surfacing is key for balancing their density relative to the changing pressures of their environment.
Oxygen Storage
Another reason whales gulp air at the surface is to store oxygen for their next dive. Breathing air allows whales to “load up” their blood and muscles with oxygen that can then be used while holding their breath underwater. During dives, their heart rate slows, blood flow is reduced, and oxygen is conserved to extend their time below.
Deep diving species, like sperm whales and beaked whales, are known to embark on extremely long and deep forays hunting for squid and fish. Their oxygen-packed lungs and efficient breathing allow them to remain submerged for over an hour and descend up to 3,000 feet into the darkness. By filling up fully at the surface, they ensure sufficient oxygen reserves to exploring the ocean’s depths.
Sound Production
Some scientists believe that the large volumes of air may also aid in sound production and communication for whales. Many species utilize various vocalizations, such as squeals, groans, clicks, whistles and songs to navigate, hunt, attract mates and interact with their pod. It is hypothesized that filling their lungs provides added force for generating these vocal sounds and projecting them over greater distances.
In particular, male humpback whales are known for their complex, haunting songs that can carry undertwater for miles. Gulping more air may help amplify their voice and extend the range of their elaborate courting calls. The acoustics of whale song production, however, remains a complex and poorly understood process. More research is needed to determine if and how lung capacity contributes to sound generation across different species.
Buoyancy Control in Shallow Waters
Regulating Overall Density
In shallow coastal areas or near the ocean’s surface, having air-filled lungs helps whales maintain neutral buoyancy. Without sufficient air volume, their body density would cause them to sink down. By gulping at the surface, whales are able to match the density of the surrounding water and hover in place without sinking or floating up. This helps them stay suspended while feeding or socializing in shallower depths where descending deep is not necessary.
Quick Adjustments for Maneuverability
Having full lungs also lets whales make quick buoyancy adjustments by exhaling some air. This allows them to smoothly transition from floating at the surface to diving down. Exhaling rapidly decreases their buoyancy and lets them start descending rapidly. Being able to easily fine tune their density enhances a whale’s agility and maneuverability in shallow water.
Avoiding Decompression Sickness
In addition, surface filling provides protection against decompression sickness, also known as “the bends”. This dangerous condition occurs when nitrogen gas bubbles form inside the body after surfacing from depth. Gulping ample air before diving allows whales to fully oxygenate their blood and tissues, decreasing nitrogen buildup. Avoiding overly rapid ascents also gives nitrogen time to diffuse safely from their tissues as they rise.
| Whale Species | Average Dive Time | Maximum Dive Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Sperm Whale | 45 minutes | 3,000 feet |
| Beluga Whale | 20 minutes | 3,000 feet |
| Orca | 15 minutes | 1,000 feet |
| Humpback Whale | 30 minutes | 1,500 feet |
| Gray Whale | 10 minutes | 650 feet |
Buoyancy Control at Depth
Counteracting Increasing Pressure
As whales dive deeper, the water pressure around them rapidly increases. At a depth of around 100 feet, the pressure doubles. By 1,000 feet, pressure has increased over 40 times. This immense pressure squeezes and compresses the whale’s air-filled spaces. Without reinflating, a whale’s lungs would completely collapse under the pressure, making breathing impossible.
Gulping more air at shallower depths provides a “cushion” that allows their lungs to compress gradually as they dive. This prevents total collapse and suffocation. It also allows them to continually add more air to maintain enough volume to stay buoyant at extreme depths.
Regulating Descent and Ascent
In addition to reinflating against pressure, whales can precisely regulate their buoyancy throughout a dive by controlling their air intake. Full lungs help them descend quickly until they reach their target depth. At that point, they can exhale slightly to halt their descent and remain suspended. This fine control over their internal air volume allows highly maneuverable vertical movement.
As they being ascending, more air expands in their lungs due to decreasing pressure. Whales can counter this by exhaling, preventing uncontrolled rapid surfacing. This expansion control helps them make slow, steady ascents, which also aids in decompression.
Staying Neutrally Buoyant
Proper air volume gives whales neutral buoyancy at depth, allowing them to swim and hover without sinking or rising. This makes hunting and navigating easier, conserving their energy. Precisely regulated lungs are like an internal “life jacket” that lets whales actively explore the 3D space of their deepwater environment.
Oxygen Storage at Depth
Longer Anaerobic Dives
In addition to buoyancy benefits, filling up their lungs provides vital oxygen reserves for deep, long-duration dives. During these dives, a whale’s muscles work anaerobically, without oxygen, building up lactic acid instead. Their oxygen stores allow them to dive for 20-60 minutes before resurfacing to breathe. This gives them enough time to hunt or migrate across large distances underwater.
Aerobic Dives for Foraging
Some dives are shorter and aerobic, allowing whales’ muscles to use oxygen throughout. These aerobic dives are important for deep foraging, allowing whales to dive down, hunt actively at depth while their muscles work with oxygen, and then return to the surface. Full lungs provide the oxygen needed to sustain active, merciless movement during deep but shorter duration dives.
Extended Time at Depth
Greater oxygen storage capacity also benefits whales by giving them more time to spend at their maximum diving depth before ascending. This allows them to fully explore their deepwater habitat, search for food, and interact with other whales over extended periods. Longer time at depth increases foraging success and social engagement.
| Whale Species | Muscle Type | Dive Type |
|---|---|---|
| Sperm Whale | Mainly anaerobic | Deep and long |
| Killer Whale | Mainly aerobic | Shallower and shorter |
| Humpback Whale | Mix of both | Varies based on purpose |
Sound Production at Depth
Long Distance Communication
According to some researchers, whales may also use air to help produce louder, lower frequency sounds that travel farther underwater. At depth, whale calls likely need more volume and power to be heard over long distances by other whales. Using a full lung capacity provides more airflow and vocal force.
Echolocation Enhancement
In addition, certain whales may use air to focus and direct their echolocation clicks. Beluga whales, for example, can exhale and blow bubbles that then reflect and intensify their clicks, helping them find prey. Other odontocete species may utilize air spaces near their blowholes to channel and concentrate their echolocation like a lens.
Navigational Aid
More speculatively, humpback whales sometimes blow bubbles while circling or “bubbling” prey. This bubble column may help refract and reflect their vocalizations, acting like a sound tunnel in the water to aid group hunting. However, more evidence is needed to determine if and how lung air assists whale calls and biosonar at depth.
Challenges of Air-Dependent Diving
Physiological Stresses
Despite its advantages, diving with lungs full of air also poses considerable physiological challenges for whales:
– Lung squeeze and potential collapse from extreme pressure changes
– Oxygen toxicity from prolonged exposure to high partial pressures
– Excess nitrogen dissolving into tissues leading to decompression sickness
– Fatigue and lactic acid buildup in oxygen-deprived muscles
– Low blood oxygen levels that require heart rate slowing and blood shunting
Behavioral Tradeoffs
In addition, deep diving forces difficult behavioral tradeoffs for whales in terms of managing oxygen use versus:
– Longer time at depth for hunting and socializing
– Higher speed and maneuverability to catch prey
– More singing and calling to communicate and attract mates
– Further migration distance before resurfacing to breathe
Ecological Dangers
Diving itself also exposes whales to ecological dangers including:
– Lack of visual awareness and predator avoidance at depth
– Disorientation from nitrogen narcosis effects
– Accidental entanglement in fishing gear and lines
– Hearing damage from intense pressure changes
Evolutionary Adaptations for Diving with Air
To help cope with the challenges of frequent deep diving and compressed air, whales have evolved a number of remarkable anatomical and physiological adaptations:
Lung Structures
– Extensible ribcages allow lungs to collapse gradually without injury at depth
– Reinforced bronchi and airways resist compression and maintain airflow
– Pleated, elastic lungs with interior cartilaginous rings unfold on ascent
– Multi-chambered design resists complete collapse from pressure
Air Processing
– Unique oxygen binding proteins (myoglobin) store high levels in muscles
– Selective blood shunting directs oxygen away from non-vital organs
– Increased oxygen extraction efficiency and reduced metabolic rates extend reserves
– Stiffened upper airways generate louder, lower frequency vocalizations
Decompression Tolerance
– Slow heart rate reduces gas uptake and bubble formation in blood
– Collapsible ribcage compartments allow for slow, stepped decompression
– High bone strength and fracture resistance from condensed heavy bones
– Blubber insulation protects against rapid pressure shifts and gas expansion
Buoyancy Control
– Excess body fat provides lift and enhances surfacing while minimizing lactic acid debt
– Powerful muscles fine-tune air volume and density for maneuverability at depth
– Streamlined bodies and enlarged tails increase thrust and efficiency when diving
Conclusion
In summary, whales rely heavily on filling up with air at the ocean’s surface to control their buoyancy for diving, store oxygen that powers their movements underwater, and potentially aid in sound production and communication. This air-dependent diving strategy, however, comes with major physiological constraints that whales have evolved innovative anatomical solutions to overcome. Their ability to repeatedly dive hundreds or even thousands of feet deep is a testament to the remarkable adaptations whales possess that allow them to live and hunt in the harshest aquatic environment on Earth. Going forward, further research on whales’ diving behavior, physiology and biomechanics will help us better understand the survival strategies of these majestic marine mammals.
