Do you know what is Ram ventilation?
No! It is not named after me! (delusions of grandeur much!)
Then again this makes the animal ‘RAM’ around!
On a related note! Do you know that there are some living beings who simply have to move all their life! The moment they stop; they die! There is literally no rest for the wicked!
Lets us not Ram around the bush and get to the point!
So Ram ventilation is a method of breathing used by some fish and sharks where they swim with their mouths open, allowing water to flow over their gills for oxygen uptake. This process relies on the forward motion of the animal to force water into the mouth and over the gills, rather than relying on muscular contractions to pump water.
The mechanism involves the animal swimming with its mouth open, creating a pressure difference that draws water into the mouth and across the gills. Now as water passes over the gills, oxygen is extracted and transferred to the bloodstream, while carbon dioxide is expelled.
Some fish and sharks, are obligate ram ventilators while some fish, like tunas, have evolved specific gill and skeletal adaptations to enhance the efficiency of ram ventilation.
But Ram ventilation comes with a price!
The sharks must swim constantly in order to keep oxygen-rich water flowing over their gills, but others are able to pass water through their respiratory system by a pumping motion of their pharynx!
This allows them to rest on the sea floor and still breathe. However, sharks do have to swim to avoid sinking to the bottom of the water column. The ability to move up and down freely in the water column is, in fact, one of the extraordinary adaptations of sharks.
Sharks, do not have a swim bladder like bony fishes, instead, they rely on lift generated by their large pectoral fins, much like the way an airplane’s wings provide lift and also sharks have very large livers that contain a high proportion of oil providing them with additional buoyancy! Of course when there is a species which has something valuable you have humans trying to get it!
Which is why Shark liver oil is in demand!
It has been long used in Scandinavian folk medicine to treat multiple ailments, including wounds, cancer, heart disease, and infertility!
Nowadays, it’s sold as a dietary supplement that promises to deliver these same health effects. Research on SLO attributes its multiple health benefits to its high alkylglycerol (AKG), squalene, and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content.
Then again you can also learn from the fact that may be the reason why Shark is so fit and strong is because it is on the move all the time! This is just Ram speaking! Then you have Raj speaking or rather Rajkumar! In this case; ShivRajkumar! Do check out his OM and AK47! Movies that is!
Shubh ratri!
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