On Wed, 2002-09-25 at 20:49, Mirine Dye wrote:

> I wonder if dolphin and whale mammary tissues are differently tolerant to pressure?
>
> Anyone ever study or compare sea-mammal lactation?

I imagine their mammary tissue is as immune to the effects of high
pressure as the rest of their tissues.  Sperm whales can dive for
periods of over one hour to depths of over 1 kilometer.  Females will
leave their young in the care of other females while they dive.  Their
physiology undergoes numerous changes to allow this and they are
wonderfully adapted.  The pressure that humans experience in their
meager dives is tiny by comparison.

regards,
Beth
amateur cetologist & perinatal educator
--
  /\/\    Beth Johnson
 / o o\   Cosmic Wonderer
( / ^^\)  Springfield, MA USA
 \ M_M/   "Ruling a country is like cooking a small fish--
           you have to handle it with care."--Lao Tzu


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