The Cuvier whale holds the apnea record for an animal, after staying underwater for almost four hours.
[Article initialement publié en janvier 2025]
A cuvier whale remained almost 4 hours under water
Although they live in aquatic environment, whales are forced to stay on the surface of the water to be able to breathe. They use what is called an vent, an organ located at their head, which works in the same way as a nostril. However, that does not prevent them from putting the whole underwater and some have turned out to be champions in what is called apnea.
In a study published in 2020 in Journal of Experimental Biology, We are told that this cetacean has the distinction of having the apnea record for the animal kingdom. Indeed, researchers observed a dive from a cuvier whale that lasted … 3:42 am! The former record was also held by this mammal which had remained underwater for 137.5 minutes for a depth of 2,992 meters.
A rather discreet whale
Cuvier whale is the most widespread whale on the planet. It is present in most seas and its number of individuals is 100,000 today. We recognize this species of whale by its short beak and its gray back to brown, covered with scars, creating a zebra visual.
Character level, Cuvier whale is a fairly discreet mammal, which prefers to avoid boats and rub shoulders with the high seas above the great depths. It is a species that can live up to 60 years and is not threatened.
Other cetaceans capable of staying underwater for a long time
In addition to the Cuvier whale, many other species living in the aquatic environment are able to stay underwater for a long time. For example, there is the sperm whale, which can go up to 3000m deep and stay in apnea for an hour and a half.
There is also Weddell's seal. This kind of seal can stay 70 minutes underwater in search of food. It is able to achieve such a performance by reducing its heart rate, a little like the cuvier whale, and its spleen which stocks a very large amount of oxygenated blood.
Source: Science and future
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