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DF2014 Talk:Sperm whale
Water-breathing?[edit]
I suspect DF whales to be water-breathing by virtue of having the [AQUATIC] tag. Here's an idea for testing this: Create a two level fishing chamber near an ocean containing sperm whales. Both levels should be below the ocean surface so they will flood from the ocean while connected to it. The lower level contains the intake from the ocean and will be used to trap the whale(s). The upper chamber has at least one channel to the lower chamber, covered by a floor grate. It may consist of a single tile. An optional channel to the air above improves realism but is inconsequential for the experiment.
Now, when a whale arrives in the lower chamber, it is closed off from the ocean using a raising bridge or floodgate or door. Done right, the lower chamber should be filled with level 7 water and the upper chamber should be at least partially filled with water, let's say 2-3 minimum. If the whale doesn't drown in reasonable time, it is water breathing. The upper chamber prevents formation of air pockets inside the lower chamber and allows to quickly check whether the lower chamber is really full. The floor grate prevents the whale from surfacing to breathe. I'd try it myself but I only just started an ocean cliff fortress and haven't seen any whales in the unit list yet.
Oh, yes, final precaution: Disallow animal rights activists access to your embark site for the duration of the experiment unless you're prepared for a PeTA siege… Electrolisk (talk) 08:44, 14 October 2015 (UTC)