Humans Aren’t the Only Species Whose Metabolisms Tend to Slow Down with Age
Published:15 Aug.2021 Source:Duke University
If you feel like your metabolism just isn't what it used to be, no matter how many hours you spend in the gym, dolphins can relate. A Duke University-led study finds that bottlenose dolphins burn calories at a lower rate as they get older, just like we do.
Rebecca Rimbach, postdoctoral associate in evolutionary anthropology at Duke, has studied energy expenditure and other aspects of physiology in animals ranging from mice to monkeys. But data on the inner workings of marine mammals such as dolphins and whales have been scant, she says. That's because these ocean dwellers are notoriously difficult to recapture for repeat measurements.