Summary
Blue whales have a flair for paradox. They live in water but breathe air. They’re enormous — the biggest creatures that have ever lived, as far as anyone knows — but subsist almost entirely on tiny krill. And as new research reveals, even the animal’s dunk tank-size heart jumps between extremes.
We are excited to share that our groundbreaking research on blue whale heart rates has been featured in The New York Times and CNN! The study, co-authored by Professor FriedLaender and colleagues, reveals fascinating insights into the cardiac function of the world’s largest animals.
Key Highlights:
- The study recorded heart rates of blue whales in the wild for the first time.
- Findings suggest that blue whales’ hearts can beat as slowly as twice per minute during deep dives.
- This research helps explain how these giants can sustain their enormous size.
Dr. Ari Friedlaender from our lab emphasized the importance of understanding these majestic creatures in light of current environmental challenges: “Whales are challenged by everything that’s happening in the ocean right now. If we’re going to make good decisions about how to manage and protect them, we need to understand what makes them tick.”
Read the full article in The New York Times and CNN to learn more about our exciting findings.
For more details, you can also access our published paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: Extreme bradycardia and tachycardia in the world’s largest animal.