Under Pressure Workshop

Marine Mammals share many traits with humans – they have large brains for their body size, they breathe air, have similar metabolisms, and can become infected by similar diseases. However, one unique difference is that marine mammals are capable of deep diving by tolerating immense pressure. This workshop will focus on marine mammal adaptations to diving in the ocean and how they compare to human diving physiology.

Marine mammals are recognizable, charismatic animals, but they are also some of the ocean’s most long lived top predators, and they serve as sentinels of environmental health hazards in our oceans. This workshop is not only intended to educate the community on the impressive diving adaptations of marine mammals and introduce young people to the underwater world, but to also address the conservation issues of marine mammals and their application to humans and how we all can protect our shared oceans.