Most humans can hold their breath for about 2 minutes. The world record is held by freediver Aleix Segura Vendrell from Barcelona, who once held his breath for over 24 minutes. But who holds the record in the animal kingdom?
While some animals, like turtles, can spend a whole winter deep in a frozen lake, they basically turn off their lungs and hibernate the whole time.
As for mammals, things are a bit different. The most impressive among them are whales, seals, and otters.
It’s believed that the winner is Cuvier’s beaked whale, with an average breath holding time of 67 minutes and one-time record of 138 minutes. The second place is held by a northern elephant seal that was once caught holding the breath for 119 minutes. The third place belongs to a sperm whale with a recorded time of 90 minutes.
