Cold Antarctic Waters Increase Oxygen Availability for Giant Invertebrates

The icy seas surrounding Antarctica hold more dissolved oxygen than warmer oceans, supporting large-bodied species.

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Oxygen solubility in seawater decreases significantly as temperature rises.

Cold water can dissolve higher concentrations of oxygen, which may facilitate larger body sizes in polar organisms including Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni.

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Enhanced oxygen availability improves tissue respiration efficiency, potentially enabling the metabolic demands of unusually large invertebrates in Antarctic ecosystems.

This environmental factor is frequently cited in discussions of polar gigantism and helps explain why deep-sea giants flourish in frigid waters.

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Biological Reviews

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