Question

While the average human is able to hold his or her breath for approximately one minute, a whale can dive for over 30 minutes without returning to the surface. Which of the following correctly describes this difference?
Whales need less energy than humans. Whales gather energy from their environment better than humans. Whales are able to conserve oxygen better than humans. Whales have cells that produce energy differently than humans.

Answer 1

The right answer is Whales are able to conserve oxygen better than humans.

As the duration of the dive of some whale species can reach more than one hour, they use other means to breathe. In vertebrates, myoglobin, a protein, transports and stores oxygen in muscle tissue. It works like hemoglobin that carries oxygen in red blood cells. It is also myoglobin concentration very strong that makes their flesh bright red color, almost black. Thus, whales use the oxygen stored in the muscles to dive for long periods.

Answer 2

Whales are able to conserve oxygen better than humans.