Sperm Whale Research Paper
The species I am writing about is the Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus).[] The Sperm Whale can be found in the ocean but lives from the surface of the water to about 3200m deep.[] This means that the Sperm Whale can go to and fro between the Epipelagic Zone (0m to 200m), the Mesopelagic Zone (200m to 1000m), and the Bathypelagic Zone (1000m to 4000m).[] In the Bathypelagic Zone the Sperm Whale must adapt to many extreme conditions. These extreme conditions are low temperature (4°C), high pressure (5850 psi), no light, and no breathable oxygen.[][] These conditions make it hard to feed, reproduce, and protect against predators, which makes the deep ocean an extreme environment to live in. The Sperm Whale has adapted to these extreme conditions
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in the deep ocean through collapsing lungs, echolocation, blubber, and electrically charged myoglobin.
Zones of the ocean: http://www.seasky.org/deep-sea/ocean-layers.html
The Bathypelagic Zone is a zone located 1000 to 4000 metres from the surface of the water. The pressures in this zone can be as high as 5850 psi or 398 atmospheres.[] If a human were to be in the Bathypelagic Zone every part of the body filled with air would collapse killing the person in a very unpleasant manner. The reason why the pressures are so high in the Bathypelagic Zone is because it is so deep in the ocean. The deeper an object is in the ocean the more water it has pushing down on it meaning the more pressure forced upon it. This is called hydrostatic pressure.[] The Sperm Whale finds most of its food in the Bathypelagic Zone, primarily through Giant Squid. But since the pressures are so high in this zone the Sperm Whale has had to adapt to the high pressures in order to get to the Giant Squid. The Sperm Whale’s rib cage is designed to fold up and collapse along with it’s lungs.[] This effectively allows the Sperm Whale to travel all the way down to the Bathypelagic Zone without worrying about pressure. Collapsing lungs forces air away from alveoli which of course is where the gas exchange between the lungs and blood occurs.[] This prevents the absorption of nitrogen into the blood and thus high blood nitrogen pressure. Also due to high pressures the Sperm Whale has adapted to creating low air volume inside of it’s body to survive the high pressures.[] These adaptations allow the Sperm Whale to handle the extreme pressures of the Bathypelagic Zone making catching food a much easier task. Giant Squid live anywhere from 300m and below which means the Sperm Whale can attack the Giant Squid where they live making a catch very likely.[] This however would be impossible for the Sperm Whale to do with out the physical adaptations to endure the high pressures. This is because the Sperm Whale would not be able to handle the pressures of where the Giant Squid are without its adaptations and would be forced to hunt other prey closer to the surface of the water. This would be detrimental to the survival of the Sperm Whale as it would be forced to rely on prey inferior in mass and harder to catch than the Giant Squid to survive.
From 1000 to 4000m metres deep in the ocean it is pitch black. If a human were to be this deep in the ocean they would be incapable of seeing anything through their eyes. The reason why it is so dark is because light from the sun can’t penetrate through all of the water above the Bathypelagic Zone to illuminate the area.[] This could seriously effect the survival of the Sperm Whale as it would not be able to see Giant Squid and thus could not catch any. However, the Sperm Whale has adapted to extreme darkness. Echolocation allows the Sperm Whale to see even in pitch black environments. First the Sperm Whale will emit ultra-high frequency clicks.[] The soundwaves from these clicks will bounce off objects in the surrounding water and return back to the whale allowing it to determine what objects are in the area. At the surface of the water the Sperm Whale will use it’s eyes, but deep in the ocean it uses echolocation to see. Species like dolphins and even bats use echolocation to also see in the darkest of environments.[] Echolocation is what the Sperm Whale uses to catch Giant Squid as Giant Squid live in extremely dark environments. Echolocation is very effective and without it the Sperm Whale would struggle to survive. This is because it would be forced to hunt prey in zones of the ocean where light illuminates the area which are found much closer to the surface of the water. This puts a serious restriction on the species that the Sperm Whale can hunt, but most of all puts Giant Squid off the menu. The Sperm Whale is very reliant on Giant Squid, in fact 80% of all prey caught by the Sperm Whale is Giant Squid.[] This is because they provide lots of meat and are relatively easy for the Sperm Whale to subdue. Without echolocation the Sperm Whale would be forced to rely on prey inferior in mass and harder to catch than the Giant Squid to survive.
https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/why-sperm-whale-has-huge-head
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The Bathypelagic Zone can reach temperatures as low as 4°C.[] If a human were to be in this zone of the ocean they would quickly die of hyperthermia.
The reason it is so cold in the Bathypelagic Zone is because it is so deep in the ocean that light from the sun cannot illuminate the water, lead alone warm it. This could seriously effect survival for the Sperm Whale as they would be too cold to mate, protect against predators, and to even find food. However, the Sperm Whale has adapted to the cold so much so that if they were on land they would die from the amount of heat they produce.[] The Sperm Whale has adapted to using layers of blubber to maintain heat and avoid dying of hyperthermia.[] In fact the Sperm Whale stores so much blubber to fight of the cold that it must eat up to 3% of its own body weight in one day to only maintain blubber supplies.[] This adaptation is what makes hunting its primary prey Giant Squid so much easier. This is because the Sperm Whale can now travel down deep all the way to where the Giant Squid live to hunt. The Sperm Whale is not the only species that uses layers of blubber to stay warm however. Seals, Sea Lions, Polar Bears, and even other species of Whale use layers of blubber to fight off the extreme cold of the environments they live in.[] Without the layers of blubber the Sperm Whale would be forced to stay very close to the surface of the ocean to avoid hyperthermia. This would make any effort to hunt useless as the Sperm Whale would be unable to find any prey large enough to supply it with enough energy. Without blubber the Sperm Whale would be forced to rely on prey inferior in mass and harder to catch than the Giant Squid to
survive.
The deep ocean offers no way for a lunged species to breath. This is because water prevents the lungs from absorbing any oxygen. Humans are incapable of breathing underwater as their lung surface area is too small to absorb enough oxygen from the water. Also, the lining of human lungs are adapted to handling air rather than water.[] If a human was forced to breath underwater they would surely drown. The same is true for the Sperm Whale as they are lunged mammals just like humans.[] However, the Sperm Whale must dive for sometimes over an hour in the ocean to hunt Giant Squid.[] The Sperm Whale has adapted to using electrically charged myoglobin to hold their breath for over an hour in order to hunt Giant Squid. Myoglobin is what binds oxygen in blood, and scientists from the University of Liverpool found that in deeper diving species like the Sperm Whale myoglobin became more electrically charged. The electrically charged myoglobin causes proteins to repel each other. This prevents them from creating any chunks that can disrupt their capability to transfer oxygen.[] The Sperm Whale is not the only species with electrically charged myoglobin however. Elephant Seals use electrically charged myoglobin as well to dive while foraging underwater for over an hour.[] The Sperm Whale is very dependant on electrically charged myoglobin to help with hunting Giant Squid. However, if the Sperm Whale did not have electrically charged myoglobin it would be incapable of hunting Giant Squid. This is because they live to far below the surface of the water for the Sperm Whale to dive down to without electrically charged myoglobin. Electrically charged myoglobin makes finding food a much easier task for the Sperm Whale and without it survival would be much more arduous. The Sperm Whale would be forced to rely on prey inferior in mass and harder to catch than the Giant Squid to survive.
The environment the Sperm Whale lives in is one of the most extreme in the world. The pressure, the darkness, the cold, and the lack of breathable oxygen make it so. If a human were to try and live in the deep ocean they would die very quickly from all four of the deep oceans extremities. The Sperm Whale however has adapted to each extremity and can now survive the deep ocean. The Sperm Whale has collapsing lungs that force air away from alveoli which of course is where the gas exchange between the lungs and blood occurs. This prevents the absorption of nitrogen into the blood and thus high blood nitrogen pressure. Without this adaptation the Sperm Whale would be incapable of surviving the 5850 psi worth of pressure in the Bathypelagic Zone. The Sperm Whale also uses echolocation to see even in pitch black environments. First the Sperm Whale will emit ultra high frequency clicks. The soundwaves from these clicks will bounce off objects in the surrounding water and return back to the whale allowing it to determine what objects are in the area. Without this adaptation the Sperm Whale would be incapable of hunting as it would be too dark for it to see its prey. The Sperm Whale also uses layers of blubber stored from hunting Giant Squid to keep its body temperature at 38 celcius.[] The Sperm Whale must maintain blubber stores by hunting 3% of its body weight per day. The Sperm Whale has also adapted to using electrically charged myoglobin to hold their breath for over an hour in order to hunt Giant Squid. Myoglobin is what binds oxygen in blood, and scientists from the University of Liverpool found that in deeper diving species like the Sperm Whale myoglobin became more electrically charged. The electrically charged myoglobin causes proteins to repel each other. This prevents them from creating any chunks that can disrupt their capability to transfer oxygen. This in effect allows the Sperm Whale to hold its breath for over an hour even when foraging the ocean. These adaptations make survival for the Sperm Whale much easier. This is because they allow the Sperm Whale to more effectively hunt Giant squid. The deep ocean is an extreme environment, but due to many adaptations the Sperm Whale can survive and thrive.
in the deep ocean through collapsing lungs, echolocation, blubber, and electrically charged myoglobin.
Zones of the ocean: http://www.seasky.org/deep-sea/ocean-layers.html
The Bathypelagic Zone is a zone located 1000 to 4000 metres from the surface of the water. The pressures in this zone can be as high as 5850 psi or 398 atmospheres.[] If a human were to be in the Bathypelagic Zone every part of the body filled with air would collapse killing the person in a very unpleasant manner. The reason why the pressures are so high in the Bathypelagic Zone is because it is so deep in the ocean. The deeper an object is in the ocean the more water it has pushing down on it meaning the more pressure forced upon it. This is called hydrostatic pressure.[] The Sperm Whale finds most of its food in the Bathypelagic Zone, primarily through Giant Squid. But since the pressures are so high in this zone the Sperm Whale has had to adapt to the high pressures in order to get to the Giant Squid. The Sperm Whale’s rib cage is designed to fold up and collapse along with it’s lungs.[] This effectively allows the Sperm Whale to travel all the way down to the Bathypelagic Zone without worrying about pressure. Collapsing lungs forces air away from alveoli which of course is where the gas exchange between the lungs and blood occurs.[] This prevents the absorption of nitrogen into the blood and thus high blood nitrogen pressure. Also due to high pressures the Sperm Whale has adapted to creating low air volume inside of it’s body to survive the high pressures.[] These adaptations allow the Sperm Whale to handle the extreme pressures of the Bathypelagic Zone making catching food a much easier task. Giant Squid live anywhere from 300m and below which means the Sperm Whale can attack the Giant Squid where they live making a catch very likely.[] This however would be impossible for the Sperm Whale to do with out the physical adaptations to endure the high pressures. This is because the Sperm Whale would not be able to handle the pressures of where the Giant Squid are without its adaptations and would be forced to hunt other prey closer to the surface of the water. This would be detrimental to the survival of the Sperm Whale as it would be forced to rely on prey inferior in mass and harder to catch than the Giant Squid to survive.
From 1000 to 4000m metres deep in the ocean it is pitch black. If a human were to be this deep in the ocean they would be incapable of seeing anything through their eyes. The reason why it is so dark is because light from the sun can’t penetrate through all of the water above the Bathypelagic Zone to illuminate the area.[] This could seriously effect the survival of the Sperm Whale as it would not be able to see Giant Squid and thus could not catch any. However, the Sperm Whale has adapted to extreme darkness. Echolocation allows the Sperm Whale to see even in pitch black environments. First the Sperm Whale will emit ultra-high frequency clicks.[] The soundwaves from these clicks will bounce off objects in the surrounding water and return back to the whale allowing it to determine what objects are in the area. At the surface of the water the Sperm Whale will use it’s eyes, but deep in the ocean it uses echolocation to see. Species like dolphins and even bats use echolocation to also see in the darkest of environments.[] Echolocation is what the Sperm Whale uses to catch Giant Squid as Giant Squid live in extremely dark environments. Echolocation is very effective and without it the Sperm Whale would struggle to survive. This is because it would be forced to hunt prey in zones of the ocean where light illuminates the area which are found much closer to the surface of the water. This puts a serious restriction on the species that the Sperm Whale can hunt, but most of all puts Giant Squid off the menu. The Sperm Whale is very reliant on Giant Squid, in fact 80% of all prey caught by the Sperm Whale is Giant Squid.[] This is because they provide lots of meat and are relatively easy for the Sperm Whale to subdue. Without echolocation the Sperm Whale would be forced to rely on prey inferior in mass and harder to catch than the Giant Squid to survive.
https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/why-sperm-whale-has-huge-head
.
The Bathypelagic Zone can reach temperatures as low as 4°C.[] If a human were to be in this zone of the ocean they would quickly die of hyperthermia.
The reason it is so cold in the Bathypelagic Zone is because it is so deep in the ocean that light from the sun cannot illuminate the water, lead alone warm it. This could seriously effect survival for the Sperm Whale as they would be too cold to mate, protect against predators, and to even find food. However, the Sperm Whale has adapted to the cold so much so that if they were on land they would die from the amount of heat they produce.[] The Sperm Whale has adapted to using layers of blubber to maintain heat and avoid dying of hyperthermia.[] In fact the Sperm Whale stores so much blubber to fight of the cold that it must eat up to 3% of its own body weight in one day to only maintain blubber supplies.[] This adaptation is what makes hunting its primary prey Giant Squid so much easier. This is because the Sperm Whale can now travel down deep all the way to where the Giant Squid live to hunt. The Sperm Whale is not the only species that uses layers of blubber to stay warm however. Seals, Sea Lions, Polar Bears, and even other species of Whale use layers of blubber to fight off the extreme cold of the environments they live in.[] Without the layers of blubber the Sperm Whale would be forced to stay very close to the surface of the ocean to avoid hyperthermia. This would make any effort to hunt useless as the Sperm Whale would be unable to find any prey large enough to supply it with enough energy. Without blubber the Sperm Whale would be forced to rely on prey inferior in mass and harder to catch than the Giant Squid to
survive.
The deep ocean offers no way for a lunged species to breath. This is because water prevents the lungs from absorbing any oxygen. Humans are incapable of breathing underwater as their lung surface area is too small to absorb enough oxygen from the water. Also, the lining of human lungs are adapted to handling air rather than water.[] If a human was forced to breath underwater they would surely drown. The same is true for the Sperm Whale as they are lunged mammals just like humans.[] However, the Sperm Whale must dive for sometimes over an hour in the ocean to hunt Giant Squid.[] The Sperm Whale has adapted to using electrically charged myoglobin to hold their breath for over an hour in order to hunt Giant Squid. Myoglobin is what binds oxygen in blood, and scientists from the University of Liverpool found that in deeper diving species like the Sperm Whale myoglobin became more electrically charged. The electrically charged myoglobin causes proteins to repel each other. This prevents them from creating any chunks that can disrupt their capability to transfer oxygen.[] The Sperm Whale is not the only species with electrically charged myoglobin however. Elephant Seals use electrically charged myoglobin as well to dive while foraging underwater for over an hour.[] The Sperm Whale is very dependant on electrically charged myoglobin to help with hunting Giant Squid. However, if the Sperm Whale did not have electrically charged myoglobin it would be incapable of hunting Giant Squid. This is because they live to far below the surface of the water for the Sperm Whale to dive down to without electrically charged myoglobin. Electrically charged myoglobin makes finding food a much easier task for the Sperm Whale and without it survival would be much more arduous. The Sperm Whale would be forced to rely on prey inferior in mass and harder to catch than the Giant Squid to survive.
The environment the Sperm Whale lives in is one of the most extreme in the world. The pressure, the darkness, the cold, and the lack of breathable oxygen make it so. If a human were to try and live in the deep ocean they would die very quickly from all four of the deep oceans extremities. The Sperm Whale however has adapted to each extremity and can now survive the deep ocean. The Sperm Whale has collapsing lungs that force air away from alveoli which of course is where the gas exchange between the lungs and blood occurs. This prevents the absorption of nitrogen into the blood and thus high blood nitrogen pressure. Without this adaptation the Sperm Whale would be incapable of surviving the 5850 psi worth of pressure in the Bathypelagic Zone. The Sperm Whale also uses echolocation to see even in pitch black environments. First the Sperm Whale will emit ultra high frequency clicks. The soundwaves from these clicks will bounce off objects in the surrounding water and return back to the whale allowing it to determine what objects are in the area. Without this adaptation the Sperm Whale would be incapable of hunting as it would be too dark for it to see its prey. The Sperm Whale also uses layers of blubber stored from hunting Giant Squid to keep its body temperature at 38 celcius.[] The Sperm Whale must maintain blubber stores by hunting 3% of its body weight per day. The Sperm Whale has also adapted to using electrically charged myoglobin to hold their breath for over an hour in order to hunt Giant Squid. Myoglobin is what binds oxygen in blood, and scientists from the University of Liverpool found that in deeper diving species like the Sperm Whale myoglobin became more electrically charged. The electrically charged myoglobin causes proteins to repel each other. This prevents them from creating any chunks that can disrupt their capability to transfer oxygen. This in effect allows the Sperm Whale to hold its breath for over an hour even when foraging the ocean. These adaptations make survival for the Sperm Whale much easier. This is because they allow the Sperm Whale to more effectively hunt Giant squid. The deep ocean is an extreme environment, but due to many adaptations the Sperm Whale can survive and thrive.