Week 1 b: Diversity

Question 1

Required taxonomy example

Answer 1

Kingdom: animals
Phylum: vertebrates
Class: mammals
Order: whales and dolphins
Suborder: toothed whales
Family: oceanic dolphins

Question 2

What to focus on

Answer 2

Taxonomy, size, morphology, distribution, abundance, life-history, social structure, foraging, reproduction, movements, conservation status, threats

Question 3

Cetacea distribution

Answer 3

All oceans (and some rivers)

Question 4

Cetacean seize

Answer 4

30kg (vaquita) to 190000 kg (blue whale)

Question 5

What are the two major groups of cetaceans?

Answer 5

Mysticetes (baleen whales): 4 families; 14 species

Odontocetes (toothed whales): 10 families; 72 species

Question 6

Mysticetes general

Answer 6

Distribution: all oceans, but mostly temperate-polar regions

Morphology: Baleen for filter feeding (krill, fish, copepods)

Seize: large seize variation (4-34 m and 3-190 tonnes)

Question 7

Mysticeti 4 families

Answer 7

Balaenopterids: fin whales; rorquals: 8 species

Balaenids: right and bowhead whales: 4 species

Neobalaenids: pygmy right whale: 1 species

Eschrichtiids: grey whale: 1 species

Question 8

Odontocetes general

Answer 8

Distribution: all oceans; highest species richness in tropic-temperate regions

Seize: 1-20m and 3kg - 70 tonnes

Morphology: Teeth, but lost in some species

Echolocation

Diverse social behavior

Diverse diet (fish, squid, crustaceans, mammals, birds…

Question 9

Odontocetes families

Answer 9

Sperm whales: 1 species
Dwarf and pygmy sperm whale: 2 species
Beaked whales: 22 species
Porpoises: 7 species
Narwhales and belugas: 2 species
Yangtze River dolphin (extinct): 1 species
Ganges and Indus River dolphin: 1 species
Fransiscana: 1 species
Amazon river dolphin: 1 species
dolphins: 38 species

Large diversity!

Question 10

Pinnipeds (pinna=feather, ped=foot)

Answer 10

Semi-aquatic (must periodically on land)

Distribution: both marine and freshwater species/subspecies

Seize: 40kg (ringed seal) to 4000kg( elephant seal)

Question 11

Three families of pinnipeds

Answer 11

Phocids: true seals; earless seals: 19 species
Otariids: eared seals: 15 species
Odobenids: walruses: 1 species

Question 12

Distribution of pinnipeds

Answer 12

Polar-temperate

Walruses are found north

Phocids are found both north and south of equator

Otariids are found by equator and north and south. However not as north as the others.

There are 4 species found inland:
- Hawaiian monk seal
- Mediterranean monk seal
- Caspian seal
- Baikal seal

Question 13

Ursudae (polar bear):

Origin:
Relation:
Seize:
Lifestyle:
Distribution:
Diet:
Adaptations:

Answer 13

Origin: Pleistocene (1-1.5 Mya)

Relation: closely related to the brown bear

Seize: 2-2.5M and 300-800kg

Lifestyle: The most terrestrial of the marine mammals, but considered marine mammal bc it lives on ice, is a good swimmer and gets most of its food from the sea.

Distribution: Circumpolar distribution

Diet: seals, whales, fish, birds, grass, berries, garbage

Adaptations: many to the cold and their fatty diet. Very dependent on the sea ice.

Question 14

Enhydra ultras (Sea otter)

Answer 14

No blubber
Dense fur
Elongated hind limbs and toes
Webbing between toes
20-45kg; 120-150 cm
Origin: Pleistocene (1-3 mya)
3 subspecies
Habitat: North Pacific marine kelp forest
Diet: molluscs, sea urchin and fish
Heavily hunted due to value of fur (now recovering)

Sea otters have an important role in the ecosystem by keeping down the number of sea urchins (sea urchins= less kelp). Have a flat chest to put sea urchins on.

Question 15

Mustelidae species

Answer 15

Marine otter and Sea otter

Question 16

Marine otter

Answer 16

South-eastern pacific
3-6kg, 85-115 cm
Poorly described

Question 17

Sirenia (sea cows)

Origin:
Morphology
Families/species
Distribution:
Diet:

Answer 17

Origin: Eocene (50-60 mya)

Morphology: Loss of hind limbs; paddle-like front limbs; tail fluke

Families/species: 2 families and 5 species (1 extinct)
- Manatees (West African, West Indian and Amazon manatee): Paddle-shaped fluke, rough skin and up to 1700kg
- Dugongs (Dugong and Stellar sea cow (extinct)): Forked fluke, smooth skin, tusks and 1000kg.

Distribution: Tropical: fully aquatic
- Manatee: Atlantic
- Dugong: Indian Ocean and parts of Oceania

Diet: Herbivores; low metabolism

Question 18

Summary: Order, family, species and distribution

Answer 18

Pinnipeds:
- 3 families (eared, earless and walrus)
- 35 species
- polar-temperate

Mystecetes:
- 4 families
- 14 species
- polar-temperate-tropic

Odontocetes:
- 10 families
- 76 species
- tropical-temperate-polar

Sirenia (sea cows):
- 2 families
- 5 species (1 extinct in 17..)
- tropical-temperate

Fissipeds (sea otters and bears):
- 2 families
- 3 species
- polar-temperate

Approximately 130 species in total.