Our Research Journal Nicholas SiaChan Poh Jin

Kenneth Lim &Kevin Koh

Baleen Whales

• Baleen whales are different from toothed whales because instead of teeth, they have baleen, a proteinous substance, which they use to siphon out small arthropods and fish. Because these whales are usually very large, they need a lot of these animals to fill their diet; therefore, they usually spend a lot of time feeding.

This is a picture of a baleen whale.

Toothed-Whale

• The Toothed Whales are made up of toothed whales and dolphins. They use echolocation to find their food. They do this by sending a signal out in the water and then detecting what it has bounced off of. This way they can find out how far away their prey is, how big it is, etc. These whales and dolphins are also thought to be very highly intelligent.

This is a picture of a toothed-dolphin

Turtles

• Marine turtles everywhere are dying needlessly because of things people do.

• We kill them for their shells. We kill them for their meat. We make soup from them.

• We kill them with our appetite for shrimp, because most shrimp is caught using nets that trap and drown turtles. Yes, turtles can drown.

• We steal their eggs by the thousands. • We build condominiums right next to their nesting

sites, and then we flood the beach with bright lights, disrupting their attempts to procreate.

• We pollute their waters with chemicals and garbage. We carelessly let plastic bags get in to the ocean, where a hungry sea turtle can mistake it for food and die from the error.

• Why should we care? Just as the health of animals on land tells us a lot about how the land is doing, the marine turtles of the world are an indicator of how our oceans are doing. Dying turtles are symptoms of sick oceans. Oceans are the original source of life on this planet, and if they die, they will likely take us with them.

• We think people should work towards making the world safe for the ocean's turtles. Each community of marine turtles faces its own set of threats.

This is a picture of a turtle.

Sharks• There are at least 350 species of shark ranging

from the smallest, the pygmy ribbontail catshark (8 to 10 inches long) to the largest, the whale shark (up to 45 feet long). Sharks are equipped with a special set of sensors, arranged in clusters over their heads, that can pick up electromagnetic currents emitted from other animals. Sharks have bad eyesight, but these sensors help detect prey from 1 to 3 yards away. Sharks can also detect the electromagnetic fields of the Earth and may use this ability to guide them during migration.

•    Sharks are often thought of as cold-blooded killers that prey on humans. However, only 32 species have been known to attack humans, and most attacks are accidents. Often, sharks inhabit the same shallow, warm-water areas as humans. The shark may mistake a person standing or floating in water for natural prey. The shark goes in for the kill but, after one taste, usually gives up the attack.

• Many shark attacks involve people trying to free sharks from fishing nets. Sharks also are territorial animals and may attack if they feel threatened. The chances of being attacked by a shark are very small, and the chances of dying from a shark attack have greatly decreased over the years. In fact, in the United States, a person is 30 times more likely to be killed by lightning than by a shark. Dog bites are 1,000 times more common than shark bites.

• Sharks are fished for their fins and cartilage. Shark-fin soup is a popular food in some areas. After the fin is cut off, the rest of the shark is discarded. Shark cartilage is a subject of much scientific study because medicine made from it may stop the growth of tumors. Shark cartilage is sold in pill form as an alternative medicine. Shark finning and fishing for cartilage have caused a decline in populations in some areas of the world. Sharks mature and reproduce slowly, so it is difficult for them to rebound from a decline.

This is a picture of a shark.