Order Carnivora 1

Marine Mammals

Classification and CharacteristicsOrder Carnivora

Order Carnivora2

What is a Mammal?

• The advantage of being endothermic with an active metabolism

• Possess hair and a layer of fat

• Viviparous

• Mammary glands

• Brain is large in relation to body size and extremely complex

Order Carnivora3

Marine Mammal Classification

• Order Carnivora - Polar bears, sea otters, seals, sea lions, and walruses

• Order Sirenia - Manatees and dugongs

• Order Cetacea - Whales, dolphins, and porpoises

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Order Carnivora

• Suborder Pinnipediao Family Otarridae - Sea lions or eared

sealso Family Phocidae - Sealso Family Odobenidae - Walrus

• Family Ursidae - Polar bear• Family Mustelidae - Sea otter

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Pinnipeds

• All are tied to the land or ice to breed

• Well-adapted to the marine environment

• Feed on fish and squid

• Most members are large in size

• Residents of cold water with fur, blubber or both

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Why are marine mammals so large?

• Helps conserve body heat since large animals have less surface area (per body mass) than smaller animals

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Family Otarridae

• Sea lions and fur seals (Eared seals)• Have the ability to rotate the pelvis and

bring the hind flippers under the body

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Otarridae Characteristics

• Use large fore flippers for propulsion

• Sexually dimorphic and polygynous

• Common specieso California sea liono Northern fur seal

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Family Phocidae (Seals)

• Largest group of pinnipeds, 19 spp.• Do not rotate pelvis and lack external ears

o Poor terrestrial habits

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Phocid Representatives

• Elephant seals• Harbor seals• Crabeater seal• Monk seals

(Monachus)

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Family Odobenidae (Walrus)

• One species, Odobenus rosmarus

• Rotate the pelvis under the body

• Feed on benthic invertebrates, especially clams

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Family Ursidae

• Polar bear (Ursus maritimus), only bear of the high arctic

• Semi-aquatic, spend most of their lives on drift ice

• Largest carnivore in the northern hemisphere (2.5 m.)

• Live in the arctic and hunt seals as they reach the surface to breathe

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Family Mustelidae

• Smallest of the marine mammals (male 60 -80 lb.)

• Lacks a dense layer of blubber; dense fur insulates the animal

• Pacific coast sea otter (Enhydra lutris)