Marine Mammals

Brian Schuster

TaxonomyKingdom Animalia

Phylum ChordataSubphylum Vertebrata

Class MammaliaOrder Cetacea – Dolphins & WhalesOrder Sirenia – Manatees &

DugongsOrder Carnivora

Suborder CaniformiaSuperfamily Pinnipedia –

Seals, Sealions, and Walruses

Evolution

Mammals first evolved to live on land, then evolved to live in water again later on.

Adaptations for Living in WaterHeat travels 25 times faster in water:• Blubber and/or fur used for insulation• Higher core body temperature• Mother’s milk contains 40-50% fatSwimming• Horizontal Caudal fin unlike fishes’ vertical

one• Whales have no fur because it causes drag

Movement Classifications

• Plankton: floats there, does not move itself– Neuston: floats on the surface of the

water

• Nekton: swims freely through water

Baleen

Excerpt from Wikipedia: “Baleen makes up baleen plates, which are arranged in two rows that look like combs of thick hair; they are attached to the upper jaws of baleen whales. It is composed of keratin, which is the same substance that makes up human hair and nails. Whales use these combs for filter feeding. Whales are the only vertebrate group to use this method of feeding in great abundance.”

Whales to Know

Largest Whales• Blue Whale: 90-100 ft• Fin Whale: 88 ft

Right Whale• One species is virtually extinct due to

whale hunting

Blue Whale

Manatees• Sometimes called sea cows, these

slow herbivores are silly