Large spleens help ‘fish people’ free dive

A population of Indonesian “fish people” have evolved extra large spleens that enable them to free dive to depths of more than 200 feet, research has shown.

The genetic change discovered in the Bajau tribe is the first known example of a human adaptation to deep diving.

For more than 1,000 years, the Bajau – known as Sea Nomads – have wandered the seas of southern Asia in house boats, catching fish by free diving with spears.

The new study found that the spleens of the Bajau people are 50 per cent larger than those of their land-dwelling neighbours, the Saluan.

Lead scientist Melissa Ilardo, from Cambridge University, embarked on the research as a PHD candidate.