Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 7 April 2000:
Vol. 288. no. 5463, p. 9
DOI: 10.1126/science.288.5463.9h
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

This Week in Science

How do marine mammals maintain long periods of aerobic exercise while diving on a single breath of air? By deploying submersible video cameras on free-ranging seals, dolphins, and a blue whale, Williams et al. (p. 133; see the news story by Pennisi) detected changes in locomotory behaviors. Lung compression and increased hydrostatic pressure at depth triggered the cessation of active stroking, which was replaced by prolonged gliding during deep dives. The energetic savings of gliding allow these mammals to lengthen the duration of submergence and to reach remarkable depths.




To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)