Elephant seals can hold their breath for over 80 minutes, longer than any other non-cetacean mammal. So it seams seals don't so much hold their breath as hold onto lots of O2 in their blood and muscle, and other tissue. How do Whales and Dolphins Sleep Without Drowning? Navy SEALs can hold their breath underwater for two to three minutes or more. While in open waters Grey Seals will rest with their bodies upright and their heads above the water, looking somewhat like buoys. Probably not much more than a minute. 4-mile run in 31 minutes SEAL candidates begin training with a two-month course at the Naval Special Warfare Preparatory School in Great Lakes, Illinois. Humans can only change 20% of our air per breath. This makes them conscious breathers. The Naked Scientists Toggle navigation. Male Grey Seals can grow to be almost twice the size of females. It is fascinating to note that humans can hold their breath for twice as long underwater as they can on land with their mouth and nose closed (the record stands at around ten minutes). When they want to breath they have to contract the muscles to open their nostrils. This feature works better than those attractive nose clips we humans wear in diving class. why seal can hold breathe for long time but human cannot? In one breath a seal can exchange 90% of the air in its lungs. whales an not breath under water no they can hold their breath under water for long periods of time but come up to the surface for air No they can't. The answer is simple – seals can store oxygen somewhere else. And speaking of diving, seals can hold their breath for a very long time… up to two hours for elephant seals. It is fascinating to note that humans can hold their breath for twice as long underwater as they can on land with their mouth and nose closed (the record stands at around ten minutes). Grey Seals are protected in the United States by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The Grey Seal is the largest existing carnivorous mammal in Britain. So in training during Hell Week, as it’s called, Navy SEAL candidates must stay awake for five days in a row to see if they can handle it. They can breathe in oxygen-rich air and dissolve it in their blood and in their muscles, as well as keeping it in their lungs. Marine mammals like seals, dolphins and whales can stay underwater for long periods of time, even more than an hour, while humans can only do so for a few minutes at most. How is it able to achieve such a lung-bursting feat? Elephant seals spend an unusual amount of time in the ocean, up to 80% of their lives. They use oxygen already in their blood and muscles while under water, and their heartbeat slows from about 100 beats per minute to 10. The longest a harbor seal can hold it’s breath is 28 minutes, but normally they breathe every few minutes. Unlike other seals, which may have harems averaging 40 cows, a dominant bull elephant seal may have only a dozen cows within his territory. They can hold their breath for approximately 2 hours while under water. How long can you hold your breath underwater? Seals have slits for nostrils that naturally close under water – and they shut even tighter with increased water pressure. The average time is around two and a half minutes.During training Seals are taught techniques with super oxygenate the blood which allows them to operate for longer without needing to surface.Some Seals have been known to hold their breath as long as four minutes without exertion.But the same man will only be able to hold his breath for two minutes or less if he has to do strenuous … Humans set breath-holding records in water because they “can hold their breath twice as long underwater they can on land.” The world record is 19 minutes and 30 seconds. A seal can stay below the surface for eight minutes at a time. Their nostrils are relaxed when in the closed position. The average time is around two and a half minutes.During training Seals are taught techniques with super oxygenate the blood which allows them to operate for longer without needing to surface.Some Seals have been known to hold their breath as long as four minutes without exertion.But the same man will only be able to hold his breath for two minutes or less if he has to do strenuous … Login ... How do seals hold their breath underwater? Unlike humans, harbor seals breathe out before diving. ... to hold their breath longer than other types of mammals can.