The five deepest-diving animals on the planet include mammals, birds, reptiles, and whales, with the deepest reaching nearly 3,000 meters.
500 m - Emperor penguin ( Aptenodytes forsteri )
Emperor penguins dive into the water. Photo: David Herraez Calzada
Few land animals are as agile as penguins. Unable to fly, these clumsy birds stride from place to place, seemingly expending a great deal of energy while taking only small steps. However, they are quite different in the water. While not the fastest swimmers, golden penguins can dive deeper and for longer periods than any other bird. They can stay underwater for 27 minutes at depths of up to 500 meters by lowering their heart rate from 70 to 10 beats per minute, according to the University of Bristol.
1,200 m - Leatherback turtle ( Dermochelys coriacea )
The deepest-diving reptile is the leatherback turtle. They can dive to depths of up to 1,200 meters. To understand why they can do this, the authors of a 2010 study attached accelerometers to female turtles nesting in the Virgin Islands. They found that the turtles descended gradually down a slope during the active swimming phase before circling, then slowly ascended again to avoid decompression sickness. The turtles' low body temperature may also help them avoid the formation of nitrogen bubbles in their blood vessels.
1,900 m - Whale shark ( Rhincodon typus )
Whale sharks dive deep to feed. Photo: Leith Holtzman
Whale sharks are the largest and deepest-diving fish. These giant filter-feeding fish typically glide closer to the surface. But a study using tags to record whale shark movements found some extremely deep dives, the deepest being 1,928 meters. Researchers hypothesize that whale sharks roam and feed in a layer of water called the deep dispersal layer.
2,250 m - Sperm whale ( Physeter macrocephalus )
Sperm whales are frequent visitors to the twilight zone, a dark, dimly lit area that is home to giant squid, their favorite food. Sperm whales aren't the deepest-diving whales, but they hold the record for surface-dwelling animals. According to the University of Hawaii, they've evolved special ribs and lungs to concentrate air in a small area, and their heart rate slows down when diving to depths of 2,250 meters.
2,992 m - Cuvier's beaked whale ( Ziphius cavirostris )
Cuvier's beaked whales are very rare because they seldom surface. Photo: Andrea Izzotti
The deepest-diving whale is the Cuvier's beaked whale. This marine mammal also set the record for the longest dive in 2020, staying underwater for 3 hours and 43 minutes. According to the Natural History Museum in London, the shutdown of certain organs helps them survive the extended deep dive. Cuvier's beaked whales are reclusive, and researchers know very little about them because they spend most of their time underwater.
An Khang (According to IFL Science )
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