Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Vertebrate Biology > Cetacean And Pinniped Diversity And Adaptions > Flashcards

Cetacean And Pinniped Diversity And Adaptions Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

Which class of mammals doesn’t have marine species

A

Amphibians

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Why did vertebrates go back to the marine environment

A

For the resources they can exploit - food

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Problems associated with returning to the sea?

A
  • Still need to breathe air - big problems, have to come back up to surface regularly - wasted time and energy, also might lose prey
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Advantages of air over water as respiratory medium

A

Lower mass
Higher viscosity
High diffusion rate
O2 is easy to access and fairly constant in air
Air has low heat conductivity and low heat capacity (they’re endotherms)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is the mass differences between air and water?

A

For equivalent amount of oxygen, animal has to move 25,000 times as much water as air

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is the problem but advantage with waters viscosity?

A

Much more energy required to move through

But water is supportive therefore less energy needed to support a body

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is positive and negative buoyancy?

A

Positive is floating, use energy for when they want to dive

Negative is sinking, use energy for when they come up to breathe

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What Cetacea have been hunted to extinction?

A

Atlantic grey whale

Stellar sea cow

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is the global hump back whale population compared to right whale?

A

60,000, found in every ocean

Compared to 300

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What are the general adaptations of cetaceans?

A
  • increased insulation
  • circulatory adjustments
  • countercurrent heat exchangers
  • sensory adaptions
  • diving capability
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

How long can cetaceans live?

A

18-100+ years

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What’s the breeding cycle of Cetacea

A

1-4 years, 1 calf per breeding event

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What are dolphins and porpoises population growth per year

A

1-4%

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What are large cetaceans population growth

A

1-10%

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

How is she determined in toothed cetacean mammals?

A

Growth layers in teeth

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

How do you measure age in whales that don’t have teeth eg humpback whales

A

Ear plugs (waxy filling instead of our air filled hole)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What are baleenidae?

A

Right whales
Have baleen plates hanging from upper jaw
Large mouth
They filter feed at the surface

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What characterises the dolphin ideas

A

Dolphins/orcas
Small and large (2-7m
Echolocate and communicate
Generally non migratoryp

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What are the phocoenidae?

A

Porpoises - 6 species

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What mating systems to cetaceans have?

A

Polygamy and promiscuity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Which whales have low latitude winter breeding grounds? Describe their breeding

A

Humpback and right
Small groups of females with offspring, escorted by males
Males compete with each other
Females reproduce every 2-4 years, do all the parental care

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

How do humpbacks and right whales compete for females

A

Sing songs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What are resident killer whale groups

A

Matrilineal pods, mature males remain in pod but mate with females in other pods

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What 2 examples of large characteristics to attract females in odontocetes?

A

Killer whale: large dorsal fin

Narwhal: large tusk

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Which Odontocete has the largest sexual dimorphism?

A

Sperm whales, male is twice the size

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

When do males leave sperm whale pods?

A

4-5 years old to head north

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What does the ‘fission fusion’ group structure in bottlenose dolphins mean?

A

Groups will come together for certain activities (eg. Breeding) but split into smaller groups for other activities (eg. Foraging)

28
Q

Which dolphin has 100-1000 in their pods

A

Spinner dolphins, main pod is split into sub groups of 12-15

29
Q

How big are harbour porpoise groups?

A

1-3

30
Q

What type of odontocetes live in larger groups?

A

Off shore living
Smaller
Eg. Pilot whales, spotted, spinner and bottlenose dolphins

31
Q

What are the advantages of large groups?

A

Protections against predators
Easy to find mates
Cooperative foraging

32
Q

What are the disadvantages of large groups?

A

Competition for prey
Risk of inbreeding
Risk of extirpation if subjected to large scale mortality event

33
Q

What are the family phocidae?

A 
True or earless seals (90%) of all seals
18 species
Larger than otaeiidae
- monk seals
- Antarctic seals
- elephant seals
- northern hemisphere seals
34
Q

What are the family otariidae

A

Fur seals and sea lions
15 species (10 seals and 5 sea lions)
Can walk by turning hind flippers
Shallow divers chasing fast swimming fish

35
Q

What monk seals are there

A

Hawaiian monk seal - critically endangered, endemic to Hawaiian islands. 1000 left, declining by 4% because of habitat loss and fishery bycatch

Mediterranean monk seal - large 2.5m/300kg, critically endangered 350-450 left because of human activites (hunting, fisheries)

Caribbean Monk seal - extinct

36
Q

What is the crab eater seal and how is it doing

A

Crab eater seal - circumpolar distribution around Antarctica.
Medium sized (2m), slender grey coloured seal. Found on free floating ice packs
Specialised predation of Antarctic krill by adapting sieve like tooth structure
Status: least concern, 7-12 million most abundant seal species in the world

37
Q

What is the leopard seal and how is it doing

A

Second largest species of seal in Antarctica
Orcas and large sharks are only natural predators
Sexual dimorphism - females slightly larger
20-30 year lifespan
Shallow water hunter, loose jaw can open 160 degrees to bite large prey
Status: least concern - 300,000

38
Q

What is the easy way to differentiate between harbour and grey seals?

A

Harbour seal nostrils are 2 lines, whereas grey seal nostrils are like a V

39
Q

Where are the 3 distinct populations of grey seals in the north Atlantic?

A
  1. Off coast of Canada and Northern USA
  2. Around UK and Ireland, up to Iceland and Norway
  3. In the Baltic Sea
40
Q

In what ways do the 3 populations of grey seals differ?

A

Genetically
Morphologically
Timing of breeding season

41
Q

How many grey seals are there

A

Over 300,000, least concern

42
Q

What percentage of grey seals breed in the UK?

A

45% (90% of these are in Scotland, outer Hebrides and Orkney)

43
Q

What was the uk grey seal population estimated to be in 2007?

A

206,000

2.8% increase between 2007 and 2008

44
Q

Where are harbour seals found?

A

Coastal waters of the northern hemisphere, from temperate to polar regions

45
Q

How many sub species of harbour seal are there

A

5

46
Q

What is the virus that has had a negative impact on harbour seals

A

Phocine distemper virus

47
Q

What size are harbour seals?

A

Males upto 1.9m, 70-150 kg

Females 1.7m, 60-110kg

48
Q

What is the status of harbour seals

A

Least concern

350,000 - 500,000 animals

49
Q

How much of European harbour seal population are in uk

A

30-40% (85% in Scotland)

50
Q

How many harbour seals in the UK?

A

2006-2008 showed 40,000-46,000

Major declines of upto 50% since 2000 in Orkney and Shetland

51
Q

What is the smallest of the otariids?

A

Galapagos fur seal

1.5m 60kg

52
Q

How much of their time do they spend out of water?

A

70% (most out of any other seal)

53
Q

What do Galapagos fur seals eat?

A

Small squids and variety of fish

54
Q

What is Galapagos fur seal status?

A

Endangered: gone from 30,000 to 10,000-15,000 in 30 years (largely because of El Niño

55
Q

What’s in the family odobenidae?

A

1 species of walrus

56
Q

What is the distribution of walruses?

A

Circumpolar arctic and sub arctic

57
Q

How big are walruses?

A

Males 3.6m 800-1500kg

females 3m 600-1100kg

58
Q

What are walrus tusks used for?

A

Interspecific aggression
Defence against predators
Aid for hauling out on ice

59
Q

What mating system do walruses have?

A

Polygamous

60
Q

What is the status of walruses

A

Data deficient: current total not known, but maybe 18,000-20,000

61
Q

What’s the difference between otariid (sea otters and polar bear), phocid and walrus fur?

A

Otariid fur has 2 layers: guard hairs and underfur hairs

Phocids and walrus lack underfur, instead have blubber

62
Q

Which animals undergo a full annual moult?

A

All phocids, sea otter and the beluga whale

63
Q

What is lanugo?

A

Baby fur

64
Q

What limits the distribution of pinnipeds towards the equator?

A

Temperature, their inability to thermoregulate especially when on land

65
Q

Why do pinnipeds have delayed implantation of the embryo

A

Because the point in time at which they can give birth is restricted, if they didn’t delay implantation pup would be born at the wrong time for breeding and weening

Vertebrate Biology (13 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions