The upper respiratory tract of dolphins.

The functional anatomy of the respiratory system of dolphins has been scarcely studied. Specifically, the capacity of the system to resist pressure changes during diving has not been fully understood. Here we shortly describe the upper respiratory tract of dolphins based on three common species, the bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus, the Risso's dolphin Grampus griseus, and the striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba. We emphasize the keymorphological features that represent evolutionary adaptations to life in the water, and, furthermore, also present a model of the tracheo-bronchial tree based on mechanical characterization and subsequent computational simulation of its biomechanical behaviour. Comparisons with the goat allowed us to determine how different structures may respond to diving-related pressure.