Do you know of any animal able to survive by drinking sea water, if there is a shortage of ground/rain water ?
2007-01-21 06:44:24 · 7 answers · asked by biggi 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
Because most mammals, with the exception of some marine mammals, do not need to, as most available water is "fresh" water, i.e. not salty.
Although some marine mammals are known to drink seawater at least on occasion, it is not well established that they routinely do so. They have other options: sea-dwelling mammals can get water through their food, and they can produce it internally from the metabolic breakdown of food (water is one of the by-products of carbohydrate and fat metabolism)
The salt content of the blood and other body fluids of marine mammals is not very different from that of terrestrial mammals or any other vertebrates: it is about one third as salty as seawater. Because a vertebrate that drinks seawater is imbibing something three times saltier than its blood, it must get rid of the excess salt by producing very salty urine. In the seal and sea lion species, for which measurements exist, the animals' urine contains up to two and a half times more salt than seawater does and seven or eight times more salt than their blood
2007-01-21 06:53:12 · answer #1 · answered by Jesus is my Savior 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
There are many animals that do not drink at all but get all the liquid they need from their food. Even if marine mammals got most of their liquid from food they would still take in a lot of seawater.
All mammals can get rid of excess salt - up to a certain point -through the kidneys. Sea water contains too much salt though. Marine mammals - whales, seals, dugongs, sea otters, walruses etc - have evolved kidneys able to get rid of the excess salt so ingestion of large quantities of sea water is not problem.
2007-01-21 09:02:25 · answer #2 · answered by tentofield 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think even marine mammals 'drink' salt water, I'm not sure any animals do. The animals that live near salt systems and evolved to rely on them have also evolved a process that takes salt out of the body. In any animal, too much salt kills. Mammals that don't need to rely on salt water haven't evolved in this manner, so they can't drink salt water.
2007-01-21 08:27:08 · answer #3 · answered by Maryka 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Apart from marine mammals no. Makes me think though do seals, whales or drink sea water. Hope there are better answers than mine and I can find out too. Thanks for that thought provoking question.
2007-01-21 06:53:59 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They get their water from the food they eat, krill and small fish. It is possible for a whale or dolphin in captivity to die of dehydration. They do not and cannot process sea water to drink.
2016-05-24 06:38:23 · answer #5 · answered by Cynthia 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
whales? they are mammals yet they live in the sea, they drink sea water
2007-01-21 06:52:13 · answer #6 · answered by DAZ4518 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
animals have not adapted to sea water because when you drink water with sea salt in it, it dryes out you mouth and makes you more thirsty. if you drink nothing but sea water your body will dry out from your body and die. same goes for animals
2007-01-21 06:53:21 · answer #7 · answered by guitarhero213 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋