{"id":41658,"date":"2024-09-06T21:08:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-06T19:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/b9ae9561-5be5-4409-9cfa-e5c4a47b1246"},"modified":"2024-09-06T21:27:26","modified_gmt":"2024-09-06T19:27:26","slug":"why-dont-deep-sea-animals-implode-heres-how-they-survive-extreme-pressures-at-the-bottom-of-the-ocean","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/why-dont-deep-sea-animals-implode-heres-how-they-survive-extreme-pressures-at-the-bottom-of-the-ocean\/","title":{"rendered":"Why don\u2019t deep-sea animals implode? Here’s how they survive extreme pressures at the bottom of the ocean"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just how do deep-sea fish avoid imploding? Dr Helen Scales explains <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Friday, 06 September 2024 at 19:08 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Fish, squid<\/a>, jellyfish<\/a> and many other animals live in the abyss, thousandsof metres below the surface, where the pressure is at least 150 times higher than inside a car tyre.<\/strong><\/p>

So why don’t they implode?<\/h2>
These animals don\u2019t implode, but bring one to the surface and it may melt in your hand. Their cell<\/a> membranes are high in unsaturated fatty acids, making them less like butter and more like olive oil, keeping them flexible under pressure and less liable to crack. <\/p>
Weirdest sea creatures – meet the strangest sea creatures of the deep<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
Most deep-sea fish don\u2019t have gas-filled swim bladders, which are difficult to inflate at great depth. Instead, their bodies are filled with jelly, boosting their buoyancy while avoiding implosion. Abyssal animals also load their bodies with trimethylamine- oxide (TMAO), which prevents water from squashing into their enzymes. <\/p>
TMAO happens to be what makes fish smell fishy. The concentration increases with depth. Snailfish \u2013 the world\u2019s deepest-dwelling vertebrates \u2013 presumably smell worst of all. <\/strong><\/p>
Discover more fascinating fish facts<\/strong><\/p>
The deadliest fish in the world<\/a><\/li>
Can fish move from pond to pond on duck’s feet?<\/a><\/li>
How long can a fish live out of water? Meet the strange mangrove rivulus fish who can survive in logs when the water dries up<\/a><\/li>
Do fish have tongues?<\/a><\/li>
Can fish drown?<\/a><\/li>
How do fish breathe?<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
Main image: Sailfish @ Getty Images<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Just how do deep-sea fish avoid imploding? Dr Helen Scales explains <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":41659,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"2"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/09\/why-dont-deep-sea-animals-implode-heres-how-they-survive-extreme-pressures-at-the-bottom-of-the-ocean.jpg",2560,1770,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/09\/why-dont-deep-sea-animals-implode-heres-how-they-survive-extreme-pressures-at-the-bottom-of-the-ocean-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/09\/why-dont-deep-sea-animals-implode-heres-how-they-survive-extreme-pressures-at-the-bottom-of-the-ocean-300x207.jpg",300,207,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/09\/why-dont-deep-sea-animals-implode-heres-how-they-survive-extreme-pressures-at-the-bottom-of-the-ocean-768x531.jpg",768,531,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/09\/why-dont-deep-sea-animals-implode-heres-how-they-survive-extreme-pressures-at-the-bottom-of-the-ocean-1024x708.jpg",800,553,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/09\/why-dont-deep-sea-animals-implode-heres-how-they-survive-extreme-pressures-at-the-bottom-of-the-ocean-1536x1062.jpg",1536,1062,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/44\/2024\/09\/why-dont-deep-sea-animals-implode-heres-how-they-survive-extreme-pressures-at-the-bottom-of-the-ocean-2048x1416.jpg",2048,1416,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Just how do deep-sea fish avoid imploding? Dr Helen Scales explains","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/41658"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}