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Re: Homo amphibius and Hypothermia
Ray McAllister (mcallist@gate.net)
Tue, 27 Dec 1994 20:34:21 -0500 (EST)
Hell yes. And the colder the water the sooner hypothermia sets in. In
its serious stages, for a SCUBA diver, its like doing pushups- there
comes a time when $1000 would not elicit one more pushup- and I've had
respiratory hypothermia where for what seemedlike an eternity I could
*not* draw another breath. Fortunately alongside a float at the end of
the Scripps Institution of Oceanography pier. It is a genuine problem but
unless you are a masochist you probably will not experience it. I now get
out of the water when upwelling makes our winter 70-72 degrre water go to
55 degrees. Ray McAllister AKA barracuda bait
On Tue, 27 Dec 1994, Troy Kelley wrote:
> Subject: Re: Homo amphibius and Hypothermia
> From: Phillip Bigelow, n8010095@henson.cc.wwu.edu
> Date: Sun, 25 Dec 1994 17:50:09 GMT
> In article <1994Dec25.175009.3738@henson.cc.wwu.edu> Phillip Bigelow,
> n8010095@henson.cc.wwu.edu writes:
> >98810399@wsuvm1.csc.wsu.edu writes:
> >
> >> A swimmer once told me that humans can suffer from hypothermia
> >> if many hours are spent in the water -- even fairly warm water
> >> (less than body temp, I guess).
> >>
> >> Does anyone know if this is true?
> >>
> >> -APB
> >
> > Yes, it is, _particularly_ in animals that weigh less than 500 lbs.
> There
> >are no small, hairless, semi-aquatic mammals or small hairless fully
> > aquatic mammals living today. All small endotherms need protective fir.
> >Large endotherms such as the elephant and the whales, lack hair, because
>
> (stuff deleted)
>
> > My reference for the necessity of hair on small mammals is:
> >
> > Schmidt-Nielsen, K. 1975. Animal Physiology. Adaptation and
> > Environment. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
> >
> > My reference on the body mass of Lucy (A. afarensis) is:
> >
> > Carroll, R.L. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution.
> > Freeman Press, 698 pages.
> > <pb>
> >
>
> See if you can post a reference as to the weight of the average dolphin.
> My guess is that an average dolphin weights less than 500 pounds. I would
> guess, A LOT LESS. Probably about 250 pounds for a male. So how can a
> dolphin weighing less than 500 pounds possibly stay warm in the water??
>
> Troy Kelley
>
>
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