Marine Mammal Diversity

Question 1

List the 3 main features of marine mammals

Answer 1

Warm blooded breathe oxygen, internal reproduction, live birth and lactation

Question 2

There are some similarities of marine mammals with terrestrial mammals

Answer 2

Prolonged parental care, complex social structures, large brains, advanced cognitive ability, range of habitats, ecologically dominant in many habitats, echo location, similar metabolic rate for body mass

Question 3

What are some of the main differences between Marine and terrestrial mammals

Answer 3

Only one young at a time, young are quite large, primary use of vocalizations for communication, streamlined bodies, breath holding ability/cardiovascular system unique, diving reflexes, Lil herbivory, rarely territorial

Question 4

What are the three living orders of marine mammals

Answer 4

Order Carnivora, order cetacean, order sirenia

Question 5

One order of marine mammals includes the pinnipeds the sea otters in the polar bears as well as other marine mammals

Answer 5

Carnivora

Question 6

What family do polar bears belong to of order Carnivora

Answer 6

Ursidae

Question 7

What marine mammals are from family mustelidae or order carnivora

Answer 7

Sea otters

Question 8

What mammal has the dentist for Lynn feeds mostly on benthic invertebrates

Answer 8

Sea otters

Question 9

What are the three families under Class pinnipedia

Answer 9

Otariidae - sea lions
Phocidae - true seals, earless
Odobenidae - walruses

Question 10

What are some of the main differences between the pinniped families

Answer 10

Scapula - otar + odo enlarged for walking on all 4s + rotate limbs
Pelvic bnoe - otar + odo cn rotate for walking
Lumbar vertebrae - enhanced in phocids for hind limb propulsions

Question 11

What has thick skin blubber found in cold northern waters that are shallow, is a very good swimmer, it’s been taking invertebrates, has a big muscle mass on the four limbs (enlarged scapula) and has tusks

Answer 11

Odobenidae - walruses

Question 12

What are the eared seals

Answer 12

Otariids - seal lions and fur seals

Question 13

What seals have a large for flipper and uses their hind flippers for steering

Answer 13

Otariids - sea lions and fur seals

Question 14

Give examples of phocids

Answer 14

Elephant and grey seals

Question 15

Give a general description of the body form of an elephant and gray seal

Answer 15

Swim with hind flipper
Small pectoral flipper/fore flippers
No ears
Dont have fur they have HAIR

Question 16

What order do manatees + dugongs belong to

Answer 16

Sirenia

Question 17

What a key body feature of the sirenians

Answer 17

Specialized head that is turned downwards

Good for eating seagrass

Question 18

What are the two sub orders and the one extinct sub order of order cetaceans

Answer 18

Mysteceti
Odontoceti
Archaeoceti

Question 19

When did the major radiation of septations moving from rivers to the oceans

Answer 19

Eocene

Question 20

When did odontocetes and mysticetes split

Answer 20

Oligocene

Question 21

When did modern dolpins and modern cetaceans radiate

Answer 21

Miocene

Question 22

What did whales evolve from

Answer 22

Hippos

Question 23

What adaptation did whales have to evolve for the oceans

Answer 23

More streamlined bodies for swimming, blubber for the cold water, obtaining freshwater with the dozens of kidneys they have to extract water from the food they eat

Question 24

How do whales get freshwater

Answer 24

Dozens of kidneys to extract water from food

Question 25

What are the two major adaptations for efficient swimming and breathing in modern cetaceans

Answer 25

``` Telescope skull (nasal drift) Fixed elbow joint for steering ```

Question 26

Give examples lf mysticete whales

Answer 26

Blue whales, humpbacks, sei, minke, right, gray, bowhead, fin

Question 27

Features of mysticetes

Answer 27

2 blowholes | No teeth

Question 28

Examples of odontocetes

Answer 28

Orcas, sperm, pilot, porpoises dolphins narwhals, beligas, beaked whales (cuviers)

Question 29

How many blowholes do odontocetes have

Answer 29

1

Question 30

What are the three sides of the life history parameter pyramid

Answer 30

Survival, growth, reproduction

Question 31

Why do citations usually only have one offspring

Answer 31

More likely to survive, mother puts all of the energy into the survival of that one young, larger birth size less likely to be prayed on

Question 32

Why do cetaceans want to have larger babies and what is the downside to this

Answer 32

Safety, thermal regulation, Downside is thatgreater buoyancy Is bigger because you have more blubber and fat more susceptible to predators

Question 33

Is lactation and cetaceans longer or shorter than other animals

Answer 33

Usually longer except in apes

Question 34

Why do mysticetes have 6 month lactation?

Answer 34

Annual cycles | Timed with feeding and breeding seasons

Question 35

Why do porpoises have a lactation of 10 months

Answer 35

Always having babies | Either lactating or pregnant that is just the fate of a the female porpoise

Question 36

Is there paternal care in killer whales and sperm whales? What about baleen whales

Answer 36

Killer whales, sperm whales yes | Baleen whales no

Question 37

And female reproduction of odontocetes, why does reproductive success usually increase with the size of the mother

Answer 37

Better to have young when Mother is bigger and healthier, gives time to delay reproduction

Question 38

Mystcetes are reproductively active before odontocetes usually... why is this

Answer 38

Mysticetes are usually pretty big / grow faster - big enough to start having younf

Question 39

Odontocetes will have a variable inter birth interval that usually depends on size of the mother, increases with size, whereas mysticetes are every 2-3 years... why

Answer 39

They have low predation risk so they have low birth rates, they can take their time to have young

Question 40

Right wheels usually have babies every 2 to 3 years however in the last few years the interval has increased and it now takes 4 to 6 years to see a new young… Why is this happening? The age of maturity is now longer to

Answer 40

Reproductively stressed There is something stressing the female so they can’t recover fast enough High level of abortion in right whales Whales are not healthy enough to carry the babies to term

Question 41

What is senescence

Answer 41

Reproduce throughout their lifetime

Question 42

What mammals go through menopause

Answer 42

Humans, sperm whales, killer whales, short finned pilot whales

Question 43

Why do grandma cetaceans usually stay around Even though they aren’t reproductively Active

Answer 43

Aloe parental care, they can babysit while Mother’s dive, adult with decades of information about feeding grounds, predators… This idea of culture and cetaceans

Question 44

Why do cetaceans live so long

Answer 44

No predation, actuations and resources Example bowhead whales in the Arctic are only hunted by humans and that’s their only predator

Question 45

Give a general idea of mysticetes

Answer 45

Abundant seasonal food Seasonal cycles Fast growth, short gestation + lactation

Question 46

Summarize small odontocetes

Answer 46

Safety of calf and mother area for concern | Mature young, short lives, lots of babies (porpoises

Question 47

Summarize large odontocetes

Answer 47

Safe from predation Long term social bonds K-selected - body maturation, gestation,lactation, longevity, menopause