Marine Mammals, Birds, And Reptiles Flashcards
what are the species of sea turtles that exist today?
- leatherback
- loggerhead
- olive ridley
- kemps ridley
- australian flatback
- green sea turtle (pacific and atlantic)
Sea turtle anatomy?
- Upper shell known as the carapace and lower shell known as plastron
- ribs expanded and fused to shell
- Powerful jaws, but no teeth
- poikiolothermic and ectothermic (except for leatherback)
sea turtle reproductive habits?
- females breed at sea every 2-4 years
- return to land to deposit eggs near the dune line
- dig a hole in the sand using back flippers
- internal fertilization
- females store sperm
- lay up to 7 clutches of eggs (1 clutch = 120 eggs)
- one clutch (group) of eggs can have multiple paternity
Sea turtle eggs?
- incubation period of 60 days
- warmer temp develop faster, (range of development between 45-75 days)
- leathery when mother lays the eggs, become more brittle during incubation
Kemps Ridley?
- smallest sea turtle species (100cm, 100 lbs)
- thought to be a hybrid because no nesting site was found
- one found in Rancho Nuevo, Mexico, now jointly managed by US and Mexico wildlife protection agencies
Green sea turtle?
- only vegetarian
- slightly green because of diet of seagrass and algae
- tropical nesting turtles usually in florida, now as far as north carolina
loggerhead sea turtle
- least vulnerable in numbers, listed as threatened
- feeds on invertebrates like crab and mulluscs
Leatherback
- largest (6ft, 100lbs)
- feed on jellyfish, dive in to depths to feed on other prey
Hawksbill
- tropical species
- feed on corals sponges and invertebrates
Sea snakes?
55 species
only found in Indian and pacific ocean
laterally flattened body with a paddle like tail
mostly 3-4 ft
sea snakes reproduction?
- breed at sea
- ovoviviparous
- some return to land to lay eggs
other sea snake traits
- not known to be aggressive
- bites can be fatal to humans
- carnivorous an feed on fish
Saltwater crocodile?
- Australia, Indian ocean, and wester pacific islands
- estuaries, mangrove swamps, rivers, and the open ocean
- eats all types of prey, aggressive hunter
lengths over 30 ft
Marine Iguanas
- Galapagos islands
- only spend portion of time in the water
- feed on seagrass
- sunbathing :)
Seabirds feather oil?
from glandular secretions
waterproof the body
Seabird Behaviors?
- colonial nesters
- monogamous
- protect young
- preening
- complex rituals for mate selection
species of marine birds not as well adapted o marine environment as penguins?
- shearwaters
- petrels
- albatross
- frigate birds
- pelicans
- cormorants
Characteristics of mammals
4600 species
skin posesses hair
homeotherms
mostly viviparous with placenta
mammary and other glands
larger brain in relation to size
many sexually dimorphant
what are the 4 major groups of marine mammals?
- Pinnipedia - seals, sea lions and walrus
- Carnivora - seals otter and polar bear
- sirenia - dugong and manatees
- Cetacea - whales, dolphins, and porpoises
Seals
- 19 species
- cold water except for monk seals
- Hawaiian and Mediterranean seals are endangered
- Carribbean monk seals not seen since 1950’s
seal size and weight
from 3.6-19 ft, males the same as females
50-5000 kg
seal diet
various fish, shell fish, and cephalopods
seal gestation
270-350 days, delayed implantation in some species
seal nursing duration
10-80 days
sexual maturity of seals
4-6 years - males
4 years - females
seal life span
up to 45 years in ringed seals and 14 years in male elephant seals
lion/fur seal body
elongated fusiform body with a small tail. the limbs are flattened and thick. forelimbs are long and oar-like. their snouts are blunt and have numerous sensitive whiskers
110-330 cm, males larger than females
21.5-1000kg
Sea otter nusring duration
6-8 months
Sea otter sexual maturity
5-6 years in males and 4 years for females
sea otter life span
10-15 years
sea otter location range
coastal regions throughout the eastern north pacific ocean
sea otter habitat
typically found in coastal water no further away than 1 km (0.6 mi.) from shore. the alaskan sea otter has a greater tendency to hauls out (come to shore) than california
polar bear diet
- need an avarage of 2 kg of fat per day
- ringed and bearded seals
- other seal species
- walruses
- narwhals
- beluga whales
- whale carcasses
- fish
- reindeer
- birds
- eggs
- berries
- kelp
polar bear gestation
8 months, including 4 month delayed implantation
polar bear estral period
females are induced ovulators; mating triggers the release of an egg for fertilization
polar bear sexual maturity
males at 6 years, females at 4
life span for polar bears
15-18 years, some over 30
range and habitat for polar bears
Circumpolar artic
artic sea ice, water, islands contenential coastlines
polarbear population
estimated 21,500-25,000
Amazonian Manatee
- smallest of the manatees
lacks nails on pectoral fins, whitish patches on undersides
West Indian Manatee
two subspecies: Florida and Antillean
- distinguished by differences in cranial measurements and geographic distribution
west african manatee
same size + shape as Indian manatee
differs in eye, snout, and cranial bone position
Manatee body
streamlined, full around the middle, narrowing to a paddle shaped tail.
grey, appears brownish
amazonian manatees usually have pink or white patches on the belly and chest. algae can alter the body color
Manatee size and weight
adult indean and west african - 3 m
large ones may reach 4 m
amazonian manatees up to 2.8 m
avarage adult weight 363 to 544 kg, females larger than males
What are the two sub-orders of the cetacea?
toothed whales (odontocetes)
baleen whales (mysticetes)
Cetacea teeth examples
dolphins - conical and interlocking
porpoises - spade shaped
river dolphins - varied, most beaked whales have one or two visible pairs
teeth adapted for grasping and tearing rather than chewing
cetaceans adaptations for diving
rapid breathing before diving - apneustic breathing
lungs remove 90% O2 from air
elastic lung tissue to expand lungs temporarily during apneustic breathing
more blood for their size for more hemoglobin to carry oxygen
more myoglobin in muscles
heart rate slows - bradycardia
blood flow reduced to extremities and digestive system
muscles employ anaerobic respiration as necessary (results in lactic acid build up)
marine mammals can tolerate more lactic acid
rib cage and lungs collapse during dive to force air into tissues and prevent decompression sickness
Echolocation
sound waves are emitted as a series of clicks of varying frequencies
melon directs the outoing sound waves
after the echo strikes an object, it is reflected back
these reflected echoes are recieved back by the melon and lower jaw
