Blowing bubbles helps sperm whales sleep soundly beneath the waves

2026/07/15 by Jarren Kay · 1 voice
Engineering · Environmental Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Biomimetic flight and propulsion mechanisms #Marine animal studies overview #Micro and Nano Robotics #Population #Sleep (system call) #Sonic boom #Sperm

paper · doi:10.1242/jeb.252978

openalex publication_date 2026/07/15 · openalex created_date 2026/07/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25

Citations

• Buoyancy regulation through modulation of onboard gas volume by resting sperm whales ( Physeter macrocephalus )

Discussions

• Sperm whales rest in an unusual position, sleeping vertically underwater. In their recent paper, Freymond & co show that the whales blow bubbles in their sleep to keep themselves from shooting to the [bsky, 15 points, 1 comments]