Thermal Insulation Allows Baird’s Beaked Whale to Maintain Warm Blood in Icy Depths

Water removes body heat far faster than air at the same temperature.

Without such insulation, heat loss in 0°C water would rapidly compromise muscle and organ function, yet this species maintains stable internal temperature while submerged for over an hour.

Its thermal resilience illustrates how large marine mammals expanded into ecological niches once thought too cold for sustained warm-blooded activity.