Can Rats Breathe Underwater?
WouterCan rats breathe underwater? Researchers tested this hypothesis by observing rats swimming in water and diving in water. They found that the cardiovascular effects of swimming are different from those of voluntary diving. As a result, swimming alone cannot be used as an adequate substitute for voluntary underwater diving. However, swimming behavior has some advantages.
Some rats can hold their breath underwater for up to three minutes. In some laboratory studies, these creatures were able to swim for a period of three days. This is possible due to their high levels of myoglobin, a protein that helps the body store oxygen in muscle tissue. Although these animals can technically breathe underwater, it would be fatal for them if they were unable to surface for air.
Another study compared the hemodynamics of voluntarily diving rats with those of rats swimming on water’s surface. Rats were divided into groups that were either anesthetized or decerebrated. They were also subjected to a nasal stimulus. All groups had different levels of MABP and heart rates.
The mammalian diving response, also known as the “master switch of life,” significantly alters cardiorespiratory behavior and supersedes common homeostatic reflexes. It uses the chemoreceptor reflex (the rat’s lungs respond to an increase in blood pressure) and the baroreceptor reflex (the rodents’ nasal mucosa), which uses the bulbospinal neurons in the rostral ventrolateral medulla to regulate respiratory rhythm.
