Why Can Whales Hold Their Breath Longer Than Most Mammals?

Whales are mammals, just like humans. Over 50 million years, the ancient creatures spent more and more time in the water, and eventually, stopped coming to land altogether. So they evolved in a way that let them live in the ocean, along with them changing physically they had to change internally. They had to learn to develop specific breathing techniques that allowed them to stay underwater for a long time without them having to constantly come up for air. In one breath, a human body can absorb about 15 percent of the oxygen inhaled. The whale absorbs as much as 90 percent of the oxygen it breathes in. Whales store the excess oxygen in myoglobin, a special protein cell found in muscles. Whales have greater amounts of myoglobin than other animals, allowing them to store larger amounts of oxygen at a time. When a whale dives into the water their heart beats more slowly and some arteries become constricted. This slows the flow of blood to certain organs without decreasing blood pressure and ensures each breath last longer. For example; the sperm whale's respiratory system allows it to hold its breath for 80 to 90 minutes at a stretch. The beaked whale can swim without a breath for as long as two hours. Whereas humans can hold their breaths on average up to a minute. A whales "nostrils" are located at the top of their head and called blowholes. Since they can only breathe at the surface, whales have had to learn how to develop a conscious or voluntary breathing, meaning they choose when they take a breath. So they surface every few minutes to blow out a mixture of water and air and take in a breath of fresh air. Where as humans have the ability to breathe out of their mouths and nose a whale only has one.