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No, unlike fish and some amphibious animals dolphins cannot breathe underwater.
Being born underwater can cause problems for newborn whale and dolphin calves. It is the touch of air on the skin which triggers that first, crucial breath.
How do dolphins breathe underwater? The simple answer to the above question is that dolphins do not breathe underwater. Fish do not need to breach the surface because their gills can extract the necessary oxygen from the water around them, not air.
Dolphins breathe through a breathing hole or spiracle located on the top of your head. When the need for air becomes too great, they rise to the surface and expel the old air through the blowhole. The expelled air can reach speeds of up to 100 km/h and often forms a jet of water as it exits.
Whales and dolphins are mammals and breathe air into their lungs, just like we do. They cannot breathe underwater like fish can as they do not have gills. They breathe through nostrils, called a blowhole, located right on top of their heads.
Whales and dolphins are mammals and breathe air into their lungs, just like we do. They cannot breathe underwater like fish can as they do not have gills. They breathe through nostrils, called a blowhole, located right on top of their heads.
Can dolphins breathe underwater? In a nutshell, no, dolphins are unable to breathe underwater. Dolphins have lungs which means they must surface regularly in order to replenish their lungs with oxygen.
The average dolphin species can stay underwater for as long as eight to 10 minutes; some can remain submerged while holding their breath for 15 minutes. Dolphins breathe through their blowhole, which has a muscular flap that covers it when they go under water, keeping water out of their lungs.
Dolphins can hold their breath underwater for as long as 20 minutes. Like all mammals, dolphins take their oxygen intake from the atmosphere. In contrast to fish , which breathe through their gills when submerged, dolphins hold their air until they surface.
Some dolphins can only hold their breath for a few minutes (3 – 7 minutes) while underwater, while other species have been known to hold their breath for over 20 minutes during deep dives. Most of what is known about a dolphin’s ability to hold its breath is from observations of their lives.