Metabolic rates of seals and whales

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Abstract
A critical review of metabolic rate determinations for pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, fur seals, and walrus) and cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) does not support the widely accepted generalization that they have higher metabolic rates than terrestrial mammals of similar size. This finding necessitates a rethinking of the thermoregulatory adaptations of these marine mammals for an aquatic existence and has important implications in comparative studies of mammals, which frequently omit marine forms because they are perceived to be "different" from other mammals. It also suggests that numerous studies have overestimated food consumption by marine mammal populations.

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