marine mammals

what is a marine mammal?

• Marine mammals are mammals that are well adapted 
• for life in the marine environment. Two major groups of 
• marine mammals are Cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises)
• Pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walruses). 

What do they have in common?

• All marine mammals give live birth.
• They have hair on their bodies.
• They have backbones (vertebrates).

Anatomy of marine mammals

• They have typical organs.
• They have thick skin.
• They have dorsal fins.
• Seals and walruses have whiskers.

common types of marine mammals

• Bottle Nose Dolphins
• Pacific White-sided Dolphins
• Dall's Porpoise 
• Risso's Dolphins
• "Killer" Whale

common types of marine mammals

• Gray Whales
• Humpback Whale
• Blue Whale
• Minke Whale
• Harbor Seal

Behavior of marine mammals

• Dolphins: Sleep on the surface of the water
• Otters hibernate.
• Whales only eat small organisms.

What do they eat?

• Whales eat krill.
• Otters eat fish.
• Dolphins eat mullet, mackerel, herring, cod and squid.
• Walruses eat mollusks.

what eats them?

• Polar bears eat seals. 
• Great white sharks eat dolphins.
• Great white sharks also eat whales.
• Orcas (killer whales) and polar bears eat walruses.

How do they reproduce?

• Marine mammals give live birth since they are mammals.
• The male and female mammal have to mate to create a baby.

Fun facts!

• The Blue whale can grow up to 110 feet and can weigh up to 200 pounds. 
• A whales tongue can weigh as much as an elephant.
• Dolphins are born with one set of teeth, and if they lose any, they do not get replaced
•  The United States Navy tried to use marine mammals to find mines that other countries laid out in the oceans. 

Fun facts

• An Orca Whale is not a whale at all, they are really apart of the dolphin species.
• Sea Otters can dive up to 330 feet underwater to find food.
•  The Blue Whale, the largest ocean animal, has a heart as big as a volkswagen. 
• Unlike most whales, Gray Whales have two blow holes instead of one.  

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