how often do seals need to breathe

Seals need to breathe after holding their breath underwater, which can range from about 15 minutes to up to two hours depending on the species. For example, the largest diving seal, the elephant seal, can hold its breath for up to two hours, while smaller species like the ringed seal hold their breath for around 45 minutes. Seals generally stay underwater for relatively long periods but surface to breathe regularly after these dives. Their urge to breathe is controlled largely by oxygen levels rather than carbon dioxide, and they can sense their blood oxygen levels to regulate their diving time efficiently. Seals can hold their breath far longer than humans due to specialized adaptations like large lung capacity relative to body size, the ability to collapse their lungs to avoid decompression sickness, and high concentrations of oxygen-storing proteins in their muscles. While sleeping, seals often keep their heads above water to breathe or take short naps underwater lasting about 30 minutes in some species, after which they must surface to breathe again. In summary, seals must surface to breathe after each dive lasting anywhere from about 15 minutes to up to two hours, depending on the seal species and the dive conditions, with most dives lasting around 15 to 40 minutes regularly.