Lecture 1 Flashcards
Study for midterm/final
Define a marine mammal in a broad sense and how many species
Any aquatic mammal that spends all or most of life in water (126 species)
Which sub-order do seals, sea lions, and walrus? How many species in that sub-order?
Pinniped (36 species)
Which order do Whales, Dolphins, and porpoise come from? How many species in that order?
Cetacean (84 species)
Which order are Manatee and Dugong from?
Sirenian (4 species)
How many species of manatee from the Sirenian sub-order are there?
3 different species
What are the two individual orders that only contain one species each?
Sea/marine otter and Polar Bear
In 2015 How many endangered and threatened species were there?
20 endangered, 7 threatened
In 2017 How many endangered and threatened species were there?
24 endangered, 9 threatened
Which two factors can the definition of a species be based on?
Morphology and DNA
What is morphology?
The study of form or structure without considering function
What is DNA?
Nucleic Acids carrying fundamental information determining characteristics (genetic make-up)
Is Pinnipedia an order, sub-order, kingdom?
Sub-order
What are the three families within the suborder of Pinnipedia and give examples.
- Phocidae (“TRUE” earless, harbor seals)
- Otariidae (eared, sea lions)
- Odobenidae (walrus)
Is Cetacea a order, sub-order, kingdom?
Order
What are the two sub orders for Cetaceans and provide examples of each and describe the physical features.
- Odontoceti (Toothed whales, ONE blow hole, Beluga whale)
- Mysticeti (No Teeth, TWO blow holes, Baleen whales/humpback whales)
Is Sirenia a order, sub-order, kingdom?
Order
What are the two families within the order Sirenia and examples?
- Trichechidae (Manatee, 3 species)
- Dugongidae (Dugong, 1 species)
What are the two families within the order Carnivora?
- Mustilidae (sea/marine otter)
- Ursidae (polar bear)
What is the fastest marine mammal?
Killer Whales (about 55 miles per hour)
Which mammal has the longest migration and where do they go?
Gray whales
- 10,000 miles
- Mexico (birthing ground, warmer water)
- Alaska (feeding ground)
What mammal has the deepest and longest dive for a cetacean?
Cuvier’s beaked whale
- 1.9 miles/2,992 meters
- over 2 hours
Which marine mammal live the longest?
- Bowhead whales live for more than 200 years
- Killer whales live for more than 100 years
What are the features of the class mammalia? (6 things)
- body covered in hair that molts
- skin covered in various glands
- mouth with teeth
- 4 limbs (may be visually absent)
- feet with toes adapted for climbing/swimming
- 4 chambered hear
Why are beavers not mammalia?
- Reside in Order of Rodentia (gnawing mammals)
- No canines
- incisors that CONTINUALLY grow
- similar to squirrel, mice, rat…
- No adaptations that marine mammals have evolved
What are general adaptations of Marine Mammals in terms of oxygen capacity? (4 things)
- Lungs which can compress/expand
- More hemoglobin (transport more O2)
- Plexis (storage of blood)
- Excessive myoglobin (O2 storage in muscles)
Why study marine mammals?
Centuries ago
- Strange
- difficult to find or see
- superstition
- Cultural aspects
Early 1700s to 20th century
- Commercial applications or products
- Whale meat sold as a substitute for protein
Modern times
- special appeal
- emotional response
- high interest in welfare
what are four aspects that make marine mammals similar to human’s behavior
- highly intelligent
- complex behavior
- curious
- playful
What are three aspects of their unique marine environment?
- exposed to various pressures
- various temperatures
- variations in light conditions
Why have marine mammals adapted to their environment? (5 things)
- live
- eat
- reproduce
- hunt
- breath
What is the food source of seal species and some large whales?
Tiny Krill
What is the food source of seals, dolphins, whales, otters…
Small to large fish
What is the food source of dolphins and some whales?
Small to large squid
What is the food source of polar bears, orcas, and walrus?
Other seals
List the environmental dangers of marine mammals
- pollutants
- Noise polution (ships)
- Habitat destruction
- Climate change
- Human interaction
What areas caused an upsurge of interest in marine mammal science?
- Their environment/habitat
- Interaction with fisheries
- Population and behavioral studies
- Reproduction
- Pollution
- Climate change
- Underwater noise
How do human interactions specifically affect marine mammal life?
- Boats negatively affect feeding efficiency/hunting
- Dolphin reproduction decrease despite decreasing dolphin bycatch
How do environmental dangers affect humans?
- Contaminants from seals when ingested by humans causes serious medical problems
- Mercury levels in whale meat causes sickness
How does captivity differ from in the wild
Captivity -> easier to study, breathing patterns, social activity
Wild -> More complicated, causes stress, requires more equipment/people
What are the conservation measures that must be taken into account to protect marine mammalian life?
- physiology
- specialized adaptations
- Environment
- traditional/cultural resources
- conservation policies
- Economic value
What are the pollutants that affect marine life (6 things)
- Heavy metals (Mercury, lead, cadmium)
- Organochlorines (DDTs)
- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
- Perflurooctane sulfonates (PFOS - Teflon)
- Oil (various products)
- Radioactive materials (various products)
What are the pollutants that affect the corresponding organ systems?
Brain - Mercury
Reproductive organs - PBCs
Kidney - Lead
Skin - Oil
How do pollutants impact species? What are some specific examples?
- Impaired reproduction (seals)
- Impaired development in young (Polar bears)
- Indirect mortality (Dolphin - ingestion)
- Direct mortality (Sea otter -thermoregulation)
What threat does mercury pose on the human population?
- Mercury can bioaccumulate and biomagnify up the food chain
- concern for humans primarily pregnant females, breast feeding and young children
