What specific adaptation helps maintain core body heat while minimizing heat loss through the extremities like flippers?
Answer
Specialized counter-current heat exchange systems
A counter-current heat exchange system in the flippers transfers heat from outgoing warm arterial blood to incoming cool venous blood, keeping the core warm while allowing the flippers to remain cooler.
Related Questions
Which flippers primarily function as the main propulsive force when a grey seal swims?What physiological response drastically slows the heart rate during a grey seal dive?What is the critical function of the thick layer of blubber beneath the grey seal's fur?What characteristic allows grey seals to detect prey in low-light or dark, murky water?How do grey seal pupils change when they surface into brighter air conditions?What anatomical feature is responsible for shunting oxygen-rich blood exclusively to the brain and heart during a dive?What specific adaptation helps maintain core body heat while minimizing heat loss through the extremities like flippers?What is the term for the thick, white, woolly coat newborns possess before developing blubber?What distinguishes the typical maximum size of an adult male grey seal compared to a female?How long does the intensive nursing period last, during which pups build essential blubber reserves?During which months are grey seal pups typically born in the eastern Atlantic population?