Reproductive Thermoregulation in Marine Mammals
By Sentiel Rommel, William McLellan
How do male cetaceans and seals keep their testes cool without a scrotum? It turns out to be the same mechanism that keeps the fetus cool in a pregnant female
This Article From Issue
September-October 1998
Volume 86, Number 5
Page 440
DOI: 10.1511/1998.37.440
Many cells and tissues of the body have an ideal temperature at which they perform best. Muscles are most efficient a few degrees above their resting temperature, hence the need for a warm-up before a rigorous workout. Neural tissue, on the other hand, is very sensitive to rising temperatures—an increase of only 4–6 degrees Celsius can disturb brain function, leading to convulsions and even death.
Carolyn Gohrer (Photo Researchers, Inc.)
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