What is there essential difference? Is there some kind of filter and if so, where and how does it work?
And what about other fish? Do they employ the same mechanism? And seaweed and stuff?
My basic understanding of living cells says that much salt does much harm, therefore as far as I’m concerned, there should be no living cell in the whole wide ocean.
Also interesting: how do eg salmons perform the transition between sweetwater river courses and their long mating routes across the ocean?
In: Biology
Marine mammals actually actively try not to “drink water” like many carnivores they get most of the water they need by eating other animals (fish), their kidneys *are* more effective at processing the salt water, but for the most part that simply means the salt is passing through their urine rather than being absorbed into their bodies. There is actually is plenty of detailed information on this, here are a few more sources [Scientific American](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-can-sea-mammals-drink/), [NYTimes](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/28/science/marine-animals-salt-water.html), [The Conversation](https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-how-do-sea-creatures-drink-sea-water-and-not-get-sick-110979).
*You asked about mammals specifically, but interestingly sea birds and sea turtles do have a whole organ that is primarily used to process (and excrete) excess salt from their blood called the* [*supraorbital gland*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supraorbital_gland)*.*
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