Why are elephant seals noses so big?

Elephant seals aren’t named for their size. Rather, the males develop noses that kind of look like elephants’ trunks. They inflate their noses in order to scare other males away — to mate, they have to fight for dominance.

What is the function of nasal turbinates?

Turbinates are bony structures inside the nose, covered by soft tissue (mucosa). They regulate airflow and warm and humidify the air you inhale.

How do nasal turbinates reduce water loss?

The nasal turbinates of the northern elephant seal reduce water loss via countercurrent heat exchange. This is a series of boney, shelf-like structures in the nasal passageway covered with a well-vascularized layer of moist tissue and mucus.

What is the primary role of nasal turbinates among mammals?

In terrestrial mammals, the respiratory turbinate bones within the nasal cavity are employed to conserve heat and water.

What is the largest seal in the world?

southern elephant seal
The southern elephant seal is a true seal and is the largest pinniped (seal or sea lion) and carnivoran (hairy carnivore) in the world. Adult males are enormous – at least six times larger than polar bears and nearly twice the size of the next largest seal (the northern elephant seal).

What does a nasal turbinate look like?

The turbinates are sausage shaped structures made of thin bone covered by spongy mucous membranes in the nasal cavities. There are three on each side and are called the superior, middle and inferior turbinates.

Do animals have nasal turbinates?

Bennett and Ruben (1986) concluded that there was only one morphological feature very suggestive of endothermy in the ancestry of mammals – nasal turbinates. These are thin, complex structures in the mammalian (and avian) nasal cavity, but are not present in any ectothermic vertebrate.

What are respiratory turbinates?

Abstract. Nasal respiratory turbinates are complex, epithelially lined structures in nearly all birds and mammals that act as intermittent countercurrent heat exchangers during routine lung ventilation.

What is the function of the meatus?

The inferior meatus is the space between the floor of the nasal cavity and the inferior turbinate. This is the largest of the air spaces. This passageway serves multiple purposes: The nasolacrimal duct (tear duct) empties any drainage from the eyes, starting at the external eye and emptying into the inferior meatus.

Do polar bears hunt elephant seals?

The only predator killing that seal is a hippopotamus. Polar bear vs elephant seal: Polar bear may win. Although elephant seal as having high size but as bear known for their aggressive and predative behaviour may kill elephant seal.