Nature · 2
Unlike air-breathing divers, how do deep-sea squid and fish near the Dumbo octopus's habitat withstand crushing water pressure?
Answer
Their bodies lack air-filled cavities and are permeated by seawater, so internal and external pressure stay equal
Because these deep-sea animals have no gas-filled spaces like lungs or swim bladders, seawater fills their tissues, keeping internal pressure matched to the crushing pressure outside rather than fighting against it.
💡 Did you know?
Dumbo octopuses live deeper than Mount Everest is tall, yet squid and fish in the same zone survive crushing pressures using only seawater.
Other options people guess
- They rely on thick blubber layers that cushion pressure changes
- They have rigid exoskeletons that resist being compressed
- They use gas-filled swim bladders reinforced with cartilage
Topics
- deep-sea
- marine-biology
- adaptation
- pressure
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