Marine Mammals Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Mammalia

Marine Mammal characteristics All mammals share the following charac: Hair Nurse young (mammary gland) Breathe air Warm blooded Live birth

5 groups of marine mammals Seals, Sea lions & Walruses Sea otters Polar bears Whales and Dolphins Manatees

Order Carnivora SubOrder Pinnepedia Seals, Sea Lions, Walruses Characteristics: Pinneped means fin footed Excellent swimmers Thick layers of blubber to protect from cold Make a barking sound Nostrils can close for diving Diet of mainly krill, crustacians, mollusks, fish, and squid

Pinnepeds Family Otariidae - eared seals include sea lions and fur seals. Can rotate both pectoral & pelvic fins to “walk” on land

Pinnepeds Family Phocidae - are true seals. They have no visible ear flap. No hind leg rotation Front legs cannot support their weight Because they must drag their back fins they are easy prey

Pinnepeds Family Odobenidae - walruses found only in North Polar regions. Use tusks to hoist themselves onto the ice and to dig for clams Nearly became extinct due to humans killing them for their ivory tusks

Most pinnepeds (except walruses) are covered with dense, waterproof fur that was attractive to man. Since the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, hunting is illegal As a result the shark has also experienced an increase in population because it’s food source is readily available.

Sea Otters Family Mustelidae Smallest of the marine mammals Four functioning limbs Have no blubber Fur is dense and protects from cold Otter pups can’t swim so they float or rest on the mother’s stomach. Use tools such as rocks to break abalone Use kelp to anchor themselves and young

Polar bears Family Ursidae Only recently added to marine mammal list Extreme amounts of blubber Fur is transparent Skin is black Feet look like snowshoes and are webbed Cover their nose when hunting as not to be detected.

Order Cetacea Whales, dolphins, and porpoises Grouped by their mouth structures Family Mysteceti - baleen whales Family Odontoceti - toothed whales Blue whale Dolphin

Family Mysteceti Possess baleen to strain plankton Ex. right, humpback, blue 2 nostrils and 2 blow holes Eat large amount of food that is low on the food chain Dorsal fin is reduced in size or absent in larger whales Right Whale Right whale Sperm whale

Family Odontoceti Known as toothed whales because of their conical shaped teeth Ex: sperm whale, orca, dolphins 2 nostril but only 1 blow hole Porpoise

Cetaceans are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of This act made whaling illegal in US coastal waters Many are still being hunted under the guise of scientific research or are “by-catch” of the tuna fishery The International Whaling Commission (I.W.C.) is a whalers organization that sets quotas based on catch size. Problems with the IWC is that it is strictly voluntary and actual is set to protect the whaling industry not the whales.

Cetacean adaptations Swimming - use powerful tail flukes Fluke markings are used like fingerprints for identification Digestion - multi-compartmentalized stomachs “chew” food. Even toothed whales don’t chew their food Baleen whales eat krill and plankton Toothed whales eat fish, penguins, seals… Narwhal Bowhead Right whale Grey whale

Cetacean adaptations Circulation - 4 chambered heart Blubber insulates against the cold. Possess counter current heat exchange which keeps the whale from overheating. Can transfer arteriole heat to surface tissues (flukes and fins) Senses - vision is poor, uses echolocation to compensate

Cetacean adaptations Whales have no vocal chords but make clicks and whines by vibrations in the blow hole Sounds are emitted and amplified in the head through an oil filled cavity called a melon Incoming vibrations are focused through the jaw and melon to the inner ear and the brain

Cetacean adaptations Diving - lungs are emptied and filled quickly through blow hole on top of head A trachea under the blow hole connects directly to lungs Nasal passages close when relaxed to prevent water from entering the lungs Oxygen is stored in muscles, ribs are collapsible to reduce internal air pockets Whale strandings occur when they are ill to prevent drowning

Cetacean adaptations Excretory - specialized kidneys allow whales to drink salt water. Urine has high salinity content Reproduction - internal Mating occurs in early summer, gestation lasts 7 months so the egg implantation is delayed 4 months so that the baby is born in the warm summer months Most whales have 1 calf every 2-3 years Whale milk is unusually high in fat content

Whale migrations Are timed to coincide with Weather Mating Migrations of other fish Births Humpback Orca Pilot whale

Order Sirenia Manatees or Sea cows Protected by the state of Florida since 1893 Protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973 Protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 BUT ONLY AROUND 1200 STILL SURVIVE TODAY

5 populations in the Order Sirenia Family Dugongidae Dugong Found in Australia and Indonesia Notched tail fluke Stellar Sea Cow Hunted to extinction within 27 years of its discovery in 1741 Family Trichechidae West Indian manatee Found from Florida to Brazil Round paddle shaped tail Amazonian manatee West African manatee

Manatees Manatees are related to the elephant through biochemistry and external features Average 10’ in length and weighs ~ 1000lbs Use blubber to keep warm Herbivores that may eat 100 lbs of sea grass a day

Manatee characteristics Their constant eating helps keep channels clear. Ironically this causes 50% of deaths due to careless boaters. Manatees must surface to breathe Whiskers (vibrissae) on snout used to rake in plants Nurse young for a year. Mammary glands are located under flippers

Manatee characteristics Live birth - gestation period of 13 months Produce 1 calf ever 3-5 years Large brain, poor vision Warm blooded with 4 chambered heart Stomach has compartments, it ruminates (chews its cud) Breathes air - may dive for 20 minutes Tail - horizontal paddle Can produce high pitched whistle for communication

Manatee characteristics Because they have no predators they have no social structure, not territorial, herds don’t have a leader, no permanent bonds are formed for mating