![]() Blood and muscle oxygen stores remain well below adult values before weaning, with large pups exhibiting 74% and 54% of adult values, respectively. But this result is driven by exceptional lung capacity at birth, followed by a decrease in mass-specific lung volume with age. Total oxygen storage capacity matures rapidly in sea otters, reaching adult levels by 2 mo postpartum. Here we determine the consequences of large lungs on the development of diving ability in southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) by examining the ontogeny of blood, muscle, and lung oxygen stores and calculating aerobic dive limits (cADL) for immature and mature age classes. AbstractSmall body size, large lungs, and dense pelage contribute to the unique challenges faced by diving sea otters (Enhydra lutris) when compared to other marine mammals.
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