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marine mammals Ocean dwelling Depend on the ocean for its food marine mammals evolved to live in the ocean 50 mya after mammals originally evolved to live on land
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Evolution of Marine Mammals Land mammals evolved back into marine animals 7 separate times A prehistoric deermouse is the link between land animals and the whale lineage New fossils suggest hippos are whales closest living land relative
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MAMMAL CHARACTERISTICS Breathe air with lungs Have hair Live birth Mothers feed young milk Endothermic- regulate body heat with their metabolism 4 chambered heart
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SOME ADAPTATIONS TO LIFE IN WATER Blubber and thick coats of hair to retain heat Tetrapod limbs modified into swimming appendages –Swim by moving up and down –Caudal tail is oriented horizontally Bodies modified for swimming: webbing, hydrodynamic shapes
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Collapsible lungs and rib cages for deep diving Ability to slow heart rate and circulation to extremities to increase dive time Record-1 1/2 hour long, 6000 ft deep dives Ex.- Cuvier beaked whale ADAPTATIONS cont….
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Other Marine Mammal Characteristics Muscle cells carry more O2 then ours Higher tolerance to CO2 Whales are conscious breathers and sleep in pairs or while swimming in order to stay alive
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CLASSIFICATION Order- Cetacea Order Sirenia –Suborder Mysticeti –Suborder Odontoceti Order Carnivora –Suborder Pinnepedia Family Phocidae Family Otariidae Family Odobenidae –Family Mustelidea –Family Ursidae
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Order Cetacea 80 different species, all completely marine Intelligent social animals Two groups of whales
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Mysteceti- baleen whales –Filter feeders that eat plankton and small fish –Blue, finback, humpback, right and gray whales –To feed- open mouths and take in enormous quantities of water and filter out food –Rorqual whales have pleated throats to help collect more water –Baleen- overlapping plates of protein that strain out food
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Baleen Feeding Methods Rorquals- take in huge gulps of water to eat krill and small fish Right whales -swim through near surface waters to skim and strain plankton Gray whales - bottom feeders that suck up sediments to filter out small crustacean and other invertebrates Humpback whales - blow bubble nets to entrap prey
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Rorqual Feeding Behavior
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Right Whale Feeding Behavior
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Gray Whale Feeding Behavior
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Humpback Feeding Behavior
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Order Odontoceti - toothed whales Peglike teeth to catch fish, seals, penguins and squid Sperm, killer, pilot, beluga, dolphins and porpoises Active hunters with specialized teeth who swallow their prey whole Male narwhal tooth grows out of it’s upper jaw Used to attract mates and sense its environment
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Whale Reproduction Fertilization and development are internal Gestation lasts 11 to 18 months Breeding once every three years Great deal of parental care –Newborns are brought to the surface for their first breath –Nursed for 6 to 10 months –Milk is 50% fat so the calves can grow quickly
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Whale Adaptations and Behavior Breathing Swimming Other Movements Migration Keeping Warm Communication
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Breathing Breathing thru the blowhole (nostril) Thru whale evolution nostril moved from the snout to the top of the head Air moves from nostril to the lungs Whales are conscious breathers
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Swimming Tail flukes (hind flippers) propel them forward Dorsal fin is used in directional control Pectoral fins are used in steering, braking and balance –Bone structure is similar to the bones in hand
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Other Movements Lobtailing- smashing tail down on the surface of water (maybe displaying aggression) Spyhopping- head is raised above water surface for a period of time Breaching- leaps out of water and crashes back down
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Migration Whales travel 1000’s of km a year with their pod (extended family) Navigate using geologic features, ocean currents, water chemistry, magnetic field, and sun Migrate between feeding and breeding –Summer-feeding in rich Arctic waters –Winter- Breed in warm, shallow and secluded tropical waters
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Keeping Warm Dive to cold and deep depths –Sperm whale may dive to depths of 3000m Migrate to cold Arctic waters Posses thick layer of blubber under their skin (layers of fat) –Traps and prevents heat loss –Can be 2 feet thick
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Communication Large and well-developed brains Complex types of communication have been documented –Used in group hunting, finding mates, sensing objects, locating prey Echolocation Humpback whales compose complex songs which differ by individual and pod
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Order Carnivora Suborder Pinnepedia –Family Phocidae: True sealsFamily Phocidae no external ears and crawl on land because their front flippers are small –Family Otariidae: Fur seals External ears and can walk on land –Family Odobenidae: Walruses two long tusks, no external ears, but can rotate their hind flippers and "walk" on land
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Seals and Sea Lions and Walruses Pad-like appendages and torpedo shaped bodies Seals and sea lions are found in all oceans while walruses are only polar http://marinesciencetoday.com/wp- content/uploads/2009/09/Walrus-US-Fish- and-Wildlife.jpg
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Pinniped Reproduction Return to land to mate and give birth Breeding season results in congregates of 1000’s Males usually compete for harems of females with whom they mate Delayed development of embryos so birth is exactly 12 months from mating
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http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.polarcruises.com/antarctica/articles/photos/articles/ant_seals_mul_w008_3.jpg&imgrefurl=h ttp://www.polarcruises.com/antarctica/articles/wildlife_4/seal-society_9.htm&usg=__QVXt6I- hqfQjbM4Bc6Nm85AnnmM=&h=225&w=300&sz=19&hl=en&start=16&sig2=HZimxmda6rzZMq8hs2R6xg&um=1&tbnid=poV2jEqdpws8nM:&tbn h=87&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbaby%2Bfurseals%2Bweaning%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26um%3D1&ei=oR1CS8a7KZOI8 QbIianQBg
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Pinniped Adaptation Intelligent social animals who also use communication Deep divers- elephant seal dives up to 1500m Thick layer of blubber insulation Thick fur Walruses have tusks for digging up mollusks
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Family MustelideaFamily Mustelidea Sea Otters Only recently adapted to aquatic life ( 3mya ) Sleep, eat, mate and rear young in ocean Keystone species in kelp forests –Feed on species that would otherwise destroy the kelp (sea urchins and snails) Dive for shellfish, at surface use a rock to get to their food Lack blubber but fur keeps them warm (1000 hairs per inch) Groom fur with special oils and trap air bubbles in fur for increased insulation
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http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/enri/aset/image s/sea-otter.jpg
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Threats to Sea Otters Oil spills- coats fur and prevents grooming –Otters freeze because of the loss in insulation Past hunting for their prized fur decimated otter populations almost to extinction –Slowly recovering Predation-killer whales and sharks
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http://owcnblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/oiledotter_rinse.jpg
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Family UrsidaeFamily Ursidae: Polar bears Most terrestrial marine mammal Lives on ice floes of the north polar region Thick fur, layer of blubber and hollow fur hairs retain heat and insulate Not an excellent swimmer Hunt seals sunning on ice or coming up thru ice holes to breathe Solitary animals
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http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EqQZrgoXvqM/SZDFRcP3FFI/AAAAAAAACTo/hu4dD7Hf2bE/s400/Polar%2BBear%2Bwh ale%2Bdinner.jpg&imgrefurl=http://ecotime.blogspot.com/2009/02/february-9-hunting-season.html&usg=__tqEC12g5Spe7gnq- p_Lmkv07BjQ=&h=286&w=400&sz=25&hl=en&start=31&sig2=WsVZsj1XNEnutxulr2aGvw&tbnid=NzY2cHjLDkB2zM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3F q%3Dpolar%2Bbear%2Bhunting%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26start%3D18&ei=MyZCS_2uCNTe8Aa- otiVBw
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Order Sirenia- Dugongs and Manatees live in warm or tropical waters feed on plants (herbivorous) Shy, social animals that communicate via squeaks Winter upstream in warm coastal rivers the Steller sea cow, once inhabited Arctic waters, but was hunted to extinction by 1768, within 27 years of its discovery
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http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nal.usda.gov/a wic/newsletters/v6n2/graphics/manatee.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.na l.usda.gov/awic/newsletters/v6n2/6n2manat.htm&usg=__YaObfwjbE Ovmk1ui1rZFm9q8HF8=&h=286&w=400&sz=12&hl=en&start=8&sig 2=FE7_RUyz12rrlL5KUJPWzg&tbnid=nAIPTI99PR0gLM:&tbnh=89& tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmanatees%26gbv%3D2%26hl% 3Den%26safe%3Dactive&ei=2CdCS8OsBaOD8Qbhk-W3Ag http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/image_fu ll/international/photosvideos/photos/a- gentle-dugong-near-okinawa.jpg
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Threats to Manatees Vulnerable to hunting, loss of habitat and pollution Frequently injured or killed by powerboat propellers Red tide toxins also cause manatee deaths
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