Lecture 1 Test Flashcards
What is the scientific name for the common bottle-nose dolphin?
Tursiops Truncatus
How many species in the order cetacea
87 ( 1 extinct)
What two suborders are living cetaceans divided into?
Mysticeti ( baleen) and Odontoceti ( toothed)
Root of Odontoceti
greek: odontos “tooth”
How many species of dolphin?
- EX: bottle nose, pacific white- sided, pilot, killer
When did the National Marine Fisheries Service change its terminology
2010
Inshore ecotype adaptations
adapted for warm, shallow waters. Its smaller body and larger flippers suggest increased maneuverability and heat dissipation
offshore ecotype adaptations
adapted for cooler, deeper waters. Certain hematologic characteristics indicate that they may be better adapted for deep diving. The larger body type assists in heat conservation and defense against predation
Where are inshore bottlenose dolphins found
typically seen in bays, tidal creeks, inlets, marshes, rivers and waters along the open beach, often at depths of 3m (9.8 ft.) or less
What is their diet?
The diet of coastal bottlenose dolphins is diverse and depends upon location.
· Many dolphin eat only fish.
· Some dolphins eat a small number of cephalopods, crustaceans, small rays and sharks.
· They generally consume about 5% of their body weight daily (Barros and Odell, 1990).
· There is strong evidence that bottlenose dolphins are selective feeders, taking fish disproportionately based on their availability in the environment and especially selecting soniferous
Fusiform
torpedo like
tail fluke
fibrous connective tissue
dorsal fin
fibrous connective tissue, provides balance and stability
pectoral flippers
Similar skeletal structure to that of the human hand
o Can be articulated
o Used for steering and stopping
Morphometrics
phometrics
· The mass and length of animals varies by geographic location.
· Body size of the bottlenose dolphin appears to vary inversely with the water temperature of the location (the colder the water, the larger the animal).
· In some populations there are size differences between the genders with females growing faster during the first decade of life, and males usually growing larger later in life.
· In other populations there are no size differences between the genders.
· Average age to reach adult mass:
o Females attain most of their adult mass by 10-12 years of age.
o Males reach adult size around 13 years of age or older (several years after
Average adult length
at AMMPA faciltiy: 8.5 ft.
Wild: 7.2-8-8 ft ( max reported is 12.5)
How much thicker is a dolphin’s epidermis compared to ours?
15-20 ( no scent or sweat glands)
Dolphin’s core body temperature
98.7
counter current heat exchange
o Counter current heat exchange is used to regulate heat loss to the environment.
o Arteries carry warmed blood away from the core of the body towards the periphery.
o Veins carry cooled blood from the periphery to the body’s core.
o In many mammals, including humans, deeply placed major arteries supplying the extremities are accompanied by two or more veins. Heat is transferred between the arteries and the accompanying veins.
o Diffusion allows for the arteries to release their heat to the surrounding veins, cooling the arterial blood heading to the extremities and warming the venous blood as it returns to the core.
what does homodont mean
all teeth are the same size and shape
non-deciduous
only have one set
how many teeth
72-104 ( 18-26 per row, 4 rows)
Taste?
detect three, if not all four
Range of hearing
75 ro 150,000 hz ( human 20-20,000)
echolocation
biological sonar. Emit hight frequency sounds and detect and analyze the returning echoes from those sounds to determine the size, shape structure, composition, direction and speed of an object. Echolocation sounds are produced using air that is reserved int he nasal sacs behind the blowhole, the sacs vibrate as sound escapes and that vibration causes the clicks of echolocation. They are amplified by melon and skull sahpe. when used for scanning the sound is emmited like spray paint. can tected objects of 70 metees away
respiration
colphin exhanges 80 percent of lung volume, humans only 17. complete inhalaton and exhalation takes about .3 seconds. max breth hold is 7 min. average rate is 2-3 per min. typically breath 8-10 times in a 5 min period
max speed
18mph ( along side boat) 25mph when upward to a leap. can be about 18 when excaping
Average swim speed
3-7 mph
average dive depth
9.8 feet
max depth dive
1,280
dive adaptations
slow heart rate, blood shunted away from tissues toleratnt of low oxygen levles and sent to heard lungs and brain. Muscles have high content of the oxygen binding protein myoglobin
typical socal groups
fluid. nursery groups, mixed sex groups of juveniles, strongly bonded pairs of adult males
sleep
unihemispheric slow wave sleep. one half is asleep, other half maintains visual awarness of environment and allows the animal to breath
sexually maturity
females, 8-10 ( early as 5) males 10-13 ( young as 8) .
nursing
dq calves generally nurse for up to 18months. under human care, start eating fish within the first year of life. max period observed int he wild was 7 years . in wild, ,stay iwt mom average of 3-6 yyears. .ongest 11
lifespan
AMMPA facilties: one year old is expected to live for more than 25 years. in wild 12 . oldest was Nellie at Georga Marineland who was 61 (64 in wild)
