Gigantic Baird’s Beaked Whale Lives in Ocean Trenches Colder Than Ice Water

This giant hunts in water barely above freezing for hours.

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Deep ocean temperatures remain consistently near freezing worldwide, regardless of tropical surface heat above.

Baird’s beaked whales forage in deep North Pacific waters where temperatures hover just above 0°C, enduring prolonged exposure during dives that can last over an hour.

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At such depths, the combination of near-freezing temperatures and immense pressure creates conditions more hostile than most polar surface waters, yet this large mammal maintains stable internal body temperature through thick blubber and metabolic regulation.

Its ability to function in crushing cold darkness illustrates how marine mammals have colonized ecological zones that resemble alien environments, redefining what large warm-blooded animals can physiologically tolerate.

Source

National Geographic

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