Marine Mammal Diversity PDF Fall 2023 - Dalhousie University

carnivoraforum ngm.nationalgeographic Marine Mammal Diversity esa animals.howstuffworks MARI 3090 – Marine Mammalogy Fall 2023 Anna Maria Island Sun Dr. Amanda Babin Oceanwide Expeditions Dalhousie University Order Cetartiodactyla Infraorder Cetacea Suborder Mysticeti • Family: Balaenida...

carnivoraforum ngm.nationalgeographic Marine Mammal Diversity esa animals.howstuffworks MARI 3090 – Marine Mammalogy Fall 2023 Anna Maria Island Sun Dr. Amanda Babin Oceanwide Expeditions Dalhousie University Order Cetartiodactyla Infraorder Cetacea Suborder Mysticeti • Family: Balaenidae • Right and Bowhead whales • Long (2 m), narrow, black baleen • Arched upper jaw and bowed lower lips, long and thin rostrum • Head 1/3 length of body • No dorsal fin • Family: Cetoheriidae • Pygmy right whale • Long and narrow baleen, yellow-white with dark border • Shorter head, but with arched upper jaw and bowed lower lips • Has a dorsal fin Arnason et al. 2018 Wikimedia Commons Order Cetartiodactyla Infraorder Cetacea Suborder Mysticeti • Family: Eschirchtiidae • • • • • Gray whale Short, narrow heads Arched rostrum 2-5 creases in throat area No dorsal fin, but knuckles on tail stock • Family: Balaenopteridae • Rorquals – 9 species (Blue, Fin, Sei, Humpback, Bryde’s, Rice’s, Omura’s, Common Minke, and Antarctic Minke) • Baleen short and wide • Mandibles bow outward using ventral grooves/pleats • Small heads and dorsal fins Arnason et al. 2018 Meet the Rorquals Fin Sei Humpback Common Minke Antarctic Minke Mikhail Vladimirovich Bryde’s Humpback Rice’s NOAA Omura’s Wikimedia Commons Len2040 Gregory Smith Allison Henry Blue Order Cetartiodactyla Infraorder Cetacea Suborder Odontoceti • Family: Delphinidae (true/oceanic dolphins) • Most diverse marine mammal family – 37 species • Orca, Pilot whale, Common dolphin, Atlantic white-sided dolphin, Bottlenose dolphin • Conical teeth • Dorsal fin most often falcate • Family: Phocoenidae (porpoises) • • • • • 7 species Smallest cetaceans (<2.5 m) Skulls have paedomorphosis (look like the young of other species) Spade-shaped teeth Triangular dorsal fin Park et al. 2019 Order Cetartiodactyla Infraorder Cetacea Suborder Odontoceti • Family: Monodontidae • • • • Beluga and Narwhal Short/absent beak No dorsal fin, but a dorsal ridge Reduced teeth, tusk in adult male Narwhals • Family: Iniidae (river dolphin) • Amazon, Araguaian, and Bolivian River Dolphins • South America • Freshwater reinvasion • Family: Pontoporiidae (river dolphin) • Franciscana dolphin • Southeast South America • Ocean and estuaries Park et al. 2019 Order Cetartiodactyla Infraorder Cetacea Suborder Odontoceti • Family: Platanistidae (river dolphin) • South Asian River Dolphin (Indus and Ganges) • Indian subcontinent • Freshwater reinvasion • Family: Lipotidae (river dolphin) • Yangtze River Dolphin (Baiji) • China • Freshwater reinvasion Park et al. 2019 Order Cetartiodactyla Infraorder Cetacea Suborder Odontoceti • Family: Physteridae • • • • • • Sperm whale Largest odontocete Sexual dimorphism (5 m difference) Large head (1/4-1/3 body length) with spermaceti and junk Narrow and underslung jaw Large (up to 20 cm) conical teeth in lower jaw • Family: Kogiidae • Pygmy and Dwarf Sperm Whales • Underslung lower jaw with sharp, thin teeth • False gill between eye and flipper Anaïs Remili with illustrations from Frédérique Lucas Park et al. 2019 Order Cetartiodactyla Infraorder Cetacea Suborder Odontoceti • Family: Ziphiidae • • • • • Beaked whales Second largest cetacean family (23 species) Dorsal fin 2/3 of the way down the body Adult males have “tusks” Deep water divers Park et al. 2019 Order Carnivora Clade Pinnipedia • Family: Phocidae • True/earless seals • Subfamily: Monachinae (Elephant, monk, southern seals) • Subfamily: Phocinae (Northern seals) • 19 species • Cannot turn hind flippers forward • North and South poles • Can survive in estuarine and freshwater wiki.acervolima.com • Family: Otariidae • • • • • Subfamily: Arctocephalinae (Fur seals, 9 southern species, 1 Northern fur seal) Subfamily: Otariinae (Sea lions, ex. California sea lion) 15 species Have external earflaps Can turn hind flippers forward Order Carnivora Clade Pinnipedia • Family: Odobenidae • • • • • • Walrus Atlantic and Pacific subspecies No ear flaps Can turn hind flippers forward Tusks on both sexes of extant species Tusks are not present in all extinct lineages wiki.acervolima.com Order Carnivora • Family: Mustelidae • 2 marine species (sea otter, marine otter), 11 other species • North America and Eurasia • No blubber – fur, elevated metabolism • Rear flippers do not have fur, used to regulate heat loss Rybczynski et al. 2009 Order Carnivora • Family: Ursidae • • • • • 1 marine species (polar bear), 7 other species Largest bear Black skin, nose, and footpads Hair lacks pigment Front paws are ore-like with short sharp claws for traction Rybczynski et al. 2009 Order Sirenia • Family: Trichechidae • 3 species (Trichechus sp., Amazonian, West Indian, West African) • Manatees • Family: Dugongidae • 1 species • Dugong • Mature males have tusks • Mutual characteristics: • Co-evolved with seagrasses (only herbivorous marine mammals) • Heavy bones • Nipples under pectoral flippers Springer et al. 2015 Take Home Messages • Cetaceans = Whales, dolphins, and porpoises • Mysticetes = Baleen whales (fewer species) • Odontocetes = Toothed whales (more species) • Dolphins are the most diverse (including orcas, pilot whales), different from porpoises • Order Carnivora • Pinnipeds (Phocidae, Otariidae, Odobenidae) • Mustelidae • Ursidae • Sirens • Manatees and dugongs Thank you!