• Question: How long can a dophin hold his breath for?

    Asked by georgiasheerin to Valeria, Charlotte, Jo, Kevin, Louise on 12 Jun 2012. This question was also asked by heylookitsthatguy.
    • Photo: Valeria Senigaglia

      Valeria Senigaglia answered on 12 Jun 2012:

      Hi georgiasheerin,
      it depends on the species. some species called ziphius may hold their breath for up to 80 minutes and they dive at depth of more than 2000 meters!
      In general dolphins can hold their breath so long because they have developed some very cool adaptations, for example they can store oxygen not only in their lungs but also in their muscles (thanks to a protein called mioglobin).

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