The manatee's amount of air exchange is higher than any other mammal's...the rate of exchange of air in the manatee's lungs is very quick and very complete. In a single breath, manatees can exchange about 90% of the air that is in their lungs. This is even more amazing because manatees only breathe through their nostrils. They don't breathe through their mouth.
To achieve such a large air exchange, manatees will blow out or exhale very forcefully when they reach the water surface, and then breathe in or inhale. Manatees have muscles in the bronchials and a very muscular diaphragm, which helps to facilitate rapid air exchange.
Because of this large air exchange, manatees take in more oxygen with each breath. That allows them to stay underwater longer between breaths. While resting, a manatees can stay underwater for as long as 20 minutes before coming up for another breath.
The lengthy manatee lungs also help them to rise and fall in the water, and spread out the bouyancy very effectively along the length of the body helping them to float
.
"That Thing Got A Hemi?"
Another unique anatomical feature of manatees is that instead of having a diaphragm that divides the animal in half across the chest , they have a hemi-diaphragm, like two diaphragms, that runs the length of much of their torso. And each of these lungs can exchange air separately.
Journey North Manatees
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While swimming with a manatee at Miami Beach, I watched it half-spin on its axis and respire while in a belly-up/lung-down backfloating position, then completed its half-spin to swim. The explosive exhalation is similar to the dolphin/whale 'blow', and perhaps parallels the archaic vestigial photic sneeze.
DDeden
Manatee & dugong kidneys: salt & fresh water herbivores
Journey North Manatees
To achieve such a large air exchange, manatees will blow out or exhale very forcefully when they reach the water surface, and then breathe in or inhale. Manatees have muscles in the bronchials and a very muscular diaphragm, which helps to facilitate rapid air exchange.
Because of this large air exchange, manatees take in more oxygen with each breath. That allows them to stay underwater longer between breaths. While resting, a manatees can stay underwater for as long as 20 minutes before coming up for another breath.
The lengthy manatee lungs also help them to rise and fall in the water, and spread out the bouyancy very effectively along the length of the body helping them to float
.
"That Thing Got A Hemi?"
Another unique anatomical feature of manatees is that instead of having a diaphragm that divides the animal in half across the chest , they have a hemi-diaphragm, like two diaphragms, that runs the length of much of their torso. And each of these lungs can exchange air separately.
Journey North Manatees
-
While swimming with a manatee at Miami Beach, I watched it half-spin on its axis and respire while in a belly-up/lung-down backfloating position, then completed its half-spin to swim. The explosive exhalation is similar to the dolphin/whale 'blow', and perhaps parallels the archaic vestigial photic sneeze.
DDeden
Manatee & dugong kidneys: salt & fresh water herbivores
Journey North Manatees