Biology Biological & Biomedical Sciences Reaction Paper (Reaction Paper Sample)

Biological Adaptation of Whales and Horses
Name
Institution
Biological Adaptation of Whales and Horses
Adaptations of Whales
Cranial adaptations of a whale
Whales have large braincases and telescoped cranial and facial bones to accommodate various things. The most important it to provide room to hold water while it is under sea so as it does not drown. The large case provide room for this and therefore water does not flood the lungs. This is achieved through modalities called the ventral pleats which are located under the lower jaw which allow the skin to stretch and accommodate large amounts of water (Britt, 2016). The other significance of the cranial and facial bones is to form the elongated skull which enables the whale to scoop a large amount of food in their mouths. Whales do not have gills like most of the other sea forms. They have a blow hole through which air enters their lungs. The lungs are adapted to exchange between 80-90% of the oxygen acquired and the trachea goes as far as the center of the lungs to help adapt to the diving tendencies (Britt, 2016). Whales have internal ears to ensure it does not tamper with their movement. Their ears have air sinuses and bones which are adapted to detect low frequency sounds. The sound waves hit the air sinuses which transmit the sound through the bones to the nerves system for interpretation and feedback. Whales have elongated skulls to accommodate their feeding so as they can capture food with more ease (Britt, 2016). The skull size allows for large jaws and distended gullets to capture food in large quantities.