Marine Reptiles, Birds, and Mammals

Reptiles Class Reptilia Includes sea turtles, sea snakes and marine lizards (Galapagos iguanas), marine crocodiles Ectothermic (cold-blooded) Breathe air with lungs Covered in scales Equipped with special salt glands to concentrate and excrete excess salts from body fluids Almost all live in tropical or subtropical waters (except turtles)

Sea Turtles Eight known marine species Cannot retract head and tails like turtles on land Adults have no natural predators except humans Forelimbs have flippers for propulsion and hind limbs are like rudders for steering. Green turtle is most common species Eat marine algae, sea grass, and other plants.

Sea Turtles Sea turtles have renowned navigation skills Return every few years to the beach where they were born to lay eggs Use the angle of the sun to find latitude, wind and wave direction, smell, and visual clues to find land.

Marine Crocodiles Live in mangrove swamps and reef islands. Mostly in tropical western Pacific (Australia and Indonesia) Australians call them “Salties” Dangerous to humans if get too close

Marine Birds Class Aves (hence Avian) Evolved from dinosaurs Endotherms (warm blooded) Have light, thin, hollow bones in order to fly All birds lay eggs on land Only 3% of known bird species qualify as seabirds Most live in Southern Hemisphere Have salt excreting glands

The Tubenoses 100 Species World’s most oceanic birds Beaks can sense air speed, detect smells, and remove salt Include the albatross with a wingspan of 12 feet! Fly for weeks or months at a time without landing Use thermals and uplift from winds and soar in long, looping, arcs Eat fish

The Pelicans Includes Pelicans, cormorants, frigate birds, and boobies All have throat pouches and webbed feet Pelicans dive for fish Frigates can’t walk or swim so they have to catch fish or small squid in flight.

The Gulls Mostly found along coasts and beaches Scavengers (eat almost anything) Good flyers, swimmers, and runners Terns are included in this group and live mostly at sea.

The Penguins Lost ability to fly Use wings to swim long distances Have fatty insulation, greasy feathers, and stubby appendages to hold in heat Live mostly in the Antarctic (southern hemisphere), South America, and Australia Emperor Penguins are largest. Can dive 875 feet and stay underwater for 10 minutes Each fish, mollusks, crustaceans, squid