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Freezing resistance in winter flounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus

Abstract

THE blood serum freezing points of most marine teleosts are within the range of −0.5 to −0.8° C1. As large regions of the oceans have temperatures as much as 1° C below this range2, many marine fish must either increase the osmotic concentrations of their blood or exist in a supercooled state. The latter is unstable and in the presence of ice, supercooled fish will freeze and die.

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DUMAN, J., DEVRIES, A. Freezing resistance in winter flounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus. Nature 247, 237–238 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/247237a0

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