Can dolphins breathe underwater?
Of all the animals living in the sea, there is one in particular that attracts attention for its intelligence, clever tricks and cute face. That’s right it’s the dolphin!

Dolphins spend their lives cruising the depths of the ocean so they must have gills like fish, correct? Actually no: dolphins breathe air like you and I… Their breathing process is a marvel of nature, a testament to their adaptation to aquatic life. They use blowholes on top of their heads to breathe, a process that is voluntary and conscious.

Despite their aquatic lifestyle, these mammals need to breathe air. They have lungs, not gills, and must surface to breathe. This is a key distinction from fish, which extract oxygen from water through gills.

When a whale or dolphin decides to breathe, it surfaces and opens its blowhole. The exhalation is forceful and quick, expelling the used air from the lungs. The inhalation that follows is equally rapid. The animal takes in a large volume of fresh air into its lungs. This process is much more efficient than in humans.

Here are some key points about the breathing process in whales and dolphins:

• They must consciously decide when to breathe.
• The exhalation and inhalation are rapid and forceful.
• The air exchange is highly efficient, allowing for extended breath-holding.

After breathing, the blowhole closes tightly. The animal can then dive, safe in the knowledge that its lungs are sealed off from the surrounding water.

Wait…how can they do it when they sleep?
Dolphins breathe voluntarily, meaning they need to consciously surface to breathe and cannot breathe automatically like humans. They achieve this by entering a state called unihemispheric slow wave sleep (USWS), where one half of their brain rests while the other remains active and aware.The active hemisphere controls breathing and watches for danger, ensuring they rise to the surface to breathe when needed.

Bonus dolphin facts
Spotted dolphins are on babysitting duties for bottlenose dolphins. They are the only two species where this interaction has been observed. Also it is never the other way around, the bottlenose dolphin does not baby sit for the spotted dolphin. When the mother goes hunting she goes to a deeper depth where a calf can’t yet go as it can’t hold its breath for that long.
The nipples of the dolphin mother are hidden within mammary slits, a skin fold. The calf nudges the mammary slit which causes the nipple to be exposed. The calf wraps its tongue around the nipple and is able to make a seal. The mother then releases the milk. This is necessary to be able to nurse under water.
We all know that dolphins use ultrasound to navigate, hunt and communicate. With the ultrasound they can also detect if a female dolphin is pregnant.