Marine Mammals photos: Florida FWC, NOAA

Reptiles, Birds, Mammals Phylum Chordata Subphylum Vertebrata 3 Classes: Class Reptilia Class Aves (birds) Class Mammalia

Mammals Advantages over reptiles: Endotherms, homeotherms (retain generated body heat and regulate it to a constant temp.) Skin covered with hair Layer of body fat Viviparous, placenta, mammary glands Large brain (relative to body size)

Marine Mammals Mammals evolved ~200 mya Some from land reinvaded the oceans ~50 mya Breathe air Adaptations for diving Several orders: Carnivora

Sea Otters Order Carnivora Family Mustelidae Second smallest marine mammal (up to 5 ft, 100 lbs)

Sea Otters No blubber, traps air in thick fur for insulation Hunted near extinction for fur til 1911 Still treatened http://www.turtletrack.org/Issues01/Co10202001/Art/SeaOtterFace.jpg

Sea Otters Other threats: Oil spills Predators – killer whales, sharks, eagles http://www.adn.com/evos/photos/evos29l.jpg http://www.whale-images.com/data/media/2/whale-games_155.jpg

Sea Otters Webbed hind feet Dive up to 300 ft, 5 min Average dive: 65 ft, 1.5 min USGS http://www.otterproject.org/atf/cf/%7B1032ABCB-19F9-4CB6-8364-2F74F73B3013%7D/Otter_image4.jpg

Sea Otters Dexterous front feet Use rocks as tools to open urchins, clams, mussels, abalone, crabs Key part of kelp communities photos: USFWS

Sea Otters When otter populations decline, urchins increase Urchins overgraze, cut through holdfasts, stipes Kelp sent adrift, strand on beach Bottom left barren http://sbc.lternet.edu/sites/biome_kelpforest.html

Sea Otters Reproduction: Breed every 1-2 yrs 1 pup born (3-5 lbs) Nurse for many months http://www.flickr.com/photos/72825507@N00/431922982/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikebaird/2979351573/in/photostream/

Marine Otters Same subfamily as sea otters Smallest marine mammal (up to 3 ft, 10 lbs) Pacific coast of S. America http://www.lioncrusher.com/images/range_maps/lontra_felina_range.gif http://www.arkive.org/media/67/67547072-B9B4-494B-A46E-7462CC40C79B/Presentation.Large/photo.jpg http://www.arkive.org/media/94/94C38F72-9307-4411-B90B-3D3D6FDFB08B/Presentation.Large/photo.jpg

Polar Bears Order Carnivora, Family Ursidae Spend time on floating sea ice Thick blubber and fur to retain heat Eat mostly seals Top carnivore in Arctic food chain AP http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Polar_Bear_2004-11-15.jpg/792px-Polar_Bear_2004-11-15.jpg

Polar Bears AP http://www.asknature.org/images/uploads/strategy/53ad434e8f86efc6d3285e60ee02ff3a/73626013f7ce3aa65bf93bd58faf58f1.jpg http://www.marinebio.net/marinescience/04benthon/arcimg/pb4054.jpg http://www.marinebio.net/marinescience/04benthon/arcimg/pb6562.jpg

Polar Bears Pregnant females dormant in maternity den until spring Usually 1-2 cubs, nurse for 2.5 yrs Breed every 2-3 yrs photos: USFWS

Polar Bears Currently a threatened species on endangered species list Estimated 20-25,000 worldwide Global warming → shrinking ice ACIA Report, 2004, p25

Polar Bears Excellent swimmers At risk of starvation and drowning from travel between distant ice packs http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Polar_bear_arctic.JPG http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/PolarBears/images/underwater3.gif http://media.aftenposten.no/archive/00627/Polar_meltdown_13_A_627162f.jpg

Pinnipeds Order Carnivora (formerly Pinnipedia) True seals (Phocidae) – 18 species Eared seals (Otariidae) Sea lions – 6 species Fur seals – 9 species Walruses (Odobenidae) – 1 species Most closely related to bears

Pinnipeds Streamlined bodies, paddle-shaped flippers for swimming Predators - eat mostly fish, squid Elephant seals – dive to 1500m, stay underwater up to 2 hours Mostly cold water, thick layer of blubber Rest and breed on land

Seals vs. Sea Lions

Seals of Long Island Males 5.5 ft, 250 lbs Females a little smaller NOAA Harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) Males 5.5 ft, 250 lbs Females a little smaller North Atlantic & Pacific Males 8 ft, 800 lbs Females 7 ft, 400 lbs North Atlantic (both sides) http://web.anglia.ac.uk/appsci//lifesci/field_courses/images/female_grey_seal_2002.jpg

Seal walk - Cupsogue Beach Seals of Long Island Seal walk - Cupsogue Beach

Seal walk - Cupsogue Beach Seals of Long Island Seal walk - Cupsogue Beach

Riverhead Foundation seal release Seals of Long Island Riverhead Foundation seal release Ponquogue Beach

Seals of Long Island http://www.cresli.org/cresli/images/sealmap2.jpg http://www.cresli.org/cresli/images/Seals2000/April005.jpg http://www.newsday.com/other/special/naturalworld/ny-nw-g1seal0111,0,6196352.graphic

Arctic Seals Harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus) Hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) NOAA Spotted seal Ringed seal (Phoca hispida) http://www.kamogawa-seaworld.jp/graph/06/07/img/img_06_1.jpg http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/dimages/image_5142.jpg

Antarctic Seals Weddell seals Leopard seal Crabeater seal NOAA NOAA http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/shackleton/surviving/images/leopardseal.jpeg

Other Seals Hawaiian monk seal Ribbon seal NOAA Hawaiian monk seal Ribbon seal Elephant seal – largest Pinneped http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/beringsea/images/ribbon_seal_200x154.jpg

Sea Lions and Fur Seals Differ from true seals anatomically and geographically True seals – more widespread, many oceans Eared seals – mostly Pacific Fur seals smaller than sea lions NOAA Fur seals

Sea Lions Steller and California sea lions photos: NOAA, USFWS

Sea Lions California sea lions Pier 39, San Francisco New York Aquarium California sea lions

Walruses One species, only in Arctic Distinctive tusks, for defense and to grab hold of ice Eats bottom invertebrates (clams) Stiff whiskers as feelers photos: NOAA, USFWS

Manatees and Dugongs Order Sirenia (“sea cows”) Manatees (3 species) Dugongs (1 species) Steller’s Sea Cow Entirely aquatic life Most closely related to elephants http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trichechus_manatus_fg01.JPG

Sirenians No rear limbs (except as embryos) Flattened tail, moves up/down Large, round body, blubber Strictly vegetarian (seagrass, aquatic plants) http://www.citycliks.com/graphics/32_02.jpg http://asterix.ednet.lsu.edu/~edtech/rainfor/manatee/manat2.jpg

Sirenians Slow reproduction (1 calf every few years) Mammary glands under armpits Florida FWC Florida FWC http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Dugong_mother_offspring.jpg

Sirenians All species endangered or extinct Hunted for meat, skin, blubber Hit by boaters (swim slow, near surface) Florida FWC http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3242/3150118129_172b5efe3f.jpg?v=0 Robert Rattner @ http://www.savethemanatee.org/manatee&prop.jpg

Sirenians Entangled in nets, lines Losing habitat (destruction of seagrass beds) Approx. 5000 manatees around Florida 2013 record mortality = 829 (16% of population) due to red tide, unk. disease Normal mortality 300-450/year http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_4o4dTnXsGkw/TH5sOaTmNqI/AAAAAAAAAWE/nraq5tR6AUY/s1600/DRC-Manatee-GalwayBay.JPG

Steller’s Sea Cow Largest sirenian (25 ft) Discovered 1741, Bering Sea, Alaska Extinct since 1768 http://www.50birds.com/extan/images/extstellersseacow13b.jpg

Dugongs vs. Manatees http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/95/67395-004-C975D8AD.gif

Dugongs Red Sea, Indian Ocean to Western Pacific, especially around Australia Strictly marine http://www.wildworldweb.co.uk/holidays/RedSea3/Dugong%20P1010173-01.jpg http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/image_full/international/photosvideos/photos/a-gentle-dugong-near-okinawa.jpg

Manatees Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Amazon River, West Africa Coastal bays, rivers, warm springs, and power plant discharge canals (salt or freshwater) Florida FWC Florida FWC http://www.nrca.org/yourenv/biodiversity/Species/gifs/manatee.jpg

Manatee Surveys Florida FWC http://www.learner.org/jnorth/images/graphics/manatee/aerial_Krispie.jpg http://cars.er.usgs.gov/Manatees/manatees.html

Wayward Manatees Sometimes migrate out of normal areas “Chessie” – tagged by USGS, seen in NY, Rhode Island 1995; Virginia 1996, 2001 Hudson River, August 2006 LIS, August 2010 Mississippi River near Memphis, Tenn. (700 miles from Gulf), Fall 2006