Sea Turtles Match Breathing to Dive Depths?
A new study shows that leatherback turtle buoyancy is likely determined by the amount of air they inhale above the surface before they dive. Video.
A new study shows that leatherback turtle buoyancy is likely determined by the amount of air they inhale above the surface before they dive. Many animals exhale before they dive, but the leatherback descends with a lungful of air.
· Crittercam Video: Underwater Turtle Mating
· Journal of Experimental Biology
Researchers have learned that leatherback turtles may adjust their breathing above the surface to regulate how deep and how fast they’ll make their dives into the sea.
Leatherbacks, which range throughout the world’s tropical and temperate ocean waters, can stay submerged for up to 85 minutes. And they are the deepest diving reptile.
But they must reach the surface to breathe, before they can dive again.
The researchers placed accelerometers on females
