“Living Submarines – Seal Adaptations for Diving to the Depths”
Hrvoje Smodlaka, DVM, PhD


The American Cetacean Society/Los Angeles Chapter (ACS/LA) invite all members and welcome the public to the ACS/LA monthly Special Speaker Series on Tuesday, February 26 at 7:30pm.
Seals are true deep diving champions. Some species can dive for more than one hour and reach depths up to 1500 meters. Hrvoje Smodlaka will discuss the many ways that Pinnipeds have adapted to life in the marine environment. Adaptations of their musculoskeletal system are more obvious; however respiratory and cardiovascular systems underwent major changes in order to meet demands of deep diving. This is especially true when talking about vasculature of the seal that shows major adaptations for diving and is anatomically very different than in terrestrial mammals.
Doctor Smodlaka is a native of Croatia, currently working as an Assistant Professor at the Western University of Health Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine in Pomona. He graduated from the University of Zagreb with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1998 and received his PhD at the University of Tennessee in 2004 where he did research in marine mammal anatomy.
The talk is free and open to the public. Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is located at 3720 Stephen M. White Drive in San Pedro. ACS/LA lectures are free and are held on the last Tuesday of the month. For an update on the speaker or information about ACS/LA, visit our website at www.acs-la.org
Come and meet our speaker in the relaxed surroundings of Puesta del Sol Restaurant at our no-host dinner before the meeting. Dinner is at 6 p.m. at 1622 S. Gaffey St. (at 17th Street) in San Pedro. (310) 833-9765