Biology of Marine Mammals

Biology and Conservation of Marine Birds and Mammals Some Adaptations for a Marine Existence • Fusiform body shape • Fat/blubber • Ability to be active under water for • long periods Flippers, fins, wings for underwater movement Some Adaptations for a Marine Existence • Thermoregulation (maintaining body • temperature in cold waters) Salt excretion (salt glands) Major Groups of Living Marine Birds 1. Order Procellariiformes: albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters Major Groups of Living Marine Birds 1. Order Procellariiformes: albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters • Albatross among largest of seabirds, storm-petrels among the smallest • Also called ‘tubenoses’ for tubular nostrils atop beak - good sense of smell • May drink seawater and excrete salt via salt glands at base of bill Major Groups of Living Marine Birds 1. Order Procellariiformes: albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters • Some of best fliers/gliders • Larger species eat fish, squid • Ground- and burrow-nesting, in colonies • Guadalupe storm-petrel extinct after cats introduced to breeding islands Major Groups of Living Marine Birds 2. Order Pelecaniformes: pelicans, cormorants, frigatebirds Major Groups of Living Marine Birds 2. Order Pelecaniformes: pelicans, cormorants, • frigatebirds Form monogamous pairs, both sexes feed young • Pelicans can feed by diving into water or from surface • Cormorants often seen Major Groups of Living Marine Birds 3. Order Charadriiformes: gulls, terns, skimmers 3. Order Charadriiformes: gulls, terns, skimmers • Major fliers in this order • Arctic tern is champion migrant - 22,000 miles round trip per year • Terns and skimmers hunt for fish while flying, gulls more scavengers Major Groups of Living Marine Birds 3. MORE Charadriiformes: (alcids)auklets, puffins, guillemots, murres Major Groups of Living Marine Birds 3. MORE Charadriiformes: (alcids)auklets, puffins, guillemots, murres Major Groups of Living Marine Birds • Swim underwater after prey - more like penguins, but can also fly • Mostly burrow- and cliff-nesters, often in colonies • Great Auk extinct • Marbled Murrelet a threatened species, nests in old-growth forests Major Groups of Living Marine Birds 3. MORE Charadriiformes: shorebirds 3. MORE Charadriiformes: shorebirds Major Groups of Living Marine Birds • Wide variety in this group sandpipers, plovers, avocets, oystercatchers... • Most live along ocean shores or rivers, others (like killdeer) in grasslands • Many waders - walk in mud or Major Groups of Living Marine Birds 4. Order Anseriformes: Waterfowl: ducks, geese and swans Surf Scoter Brant Tundra Swan Major Groups of Living Marine Birds 4. Order Anseriformes: Waterfowl: ducks, geese and swans • Swans are largest of this group - only 7 species worldwide – feed on vegetation under water – monogamous and tend to mate for life – trumpeter swan hunted almost to extinction, now with growing populations around Yellowstone Park, in Canada Major Groups of Living Marine Birds 4. Order Anseriformes: Waterfowl: ducks, geese and swans • Geese larger than ducks, feed more on land than other waterfowl • Canada goose has many subspecies, can be problems in urban areas • Most geese are migratory, fly in famous V-formation Major Groups of Living Marine Birds 4. Order Anseriformes: Waterfowl: ducks, geese and swans • Ducks can be salt- or fresh-water – dabblers or dippers swim on surface and dip head under to feed on shallow plants – diving ducks usually refer to marine ducks such as eiders and scoters • Many species hunted as game Marine Mammals 1. Pinnipeds: Seals, sea lions, and walrus Marine Mammals 1. Pinnipeds: Seals, sea lions, and walrus • Elephant seals breed off the coast of California and Mexico - males can weigh up to 8,000 pounds • All catch fish or shellfish underwater • Walrus’ tusks used as ivory Marine Mammals 2. Carnivores: Sea and River otters Marine Mammals 2. Carnivores: Sea and River otters • More closely related to mustelids (terrestrial carnivores like mink, weasel, wolverine) than other marine mammals • River otters (as you might guess) more likely in rivers, but also found along coasts • Sea otters prey upon sea urchin and maintain balance in kelp forest Marine Mammals 3. Cetaceans: whales, dolphins, and porpoises Marine Mammals 3. Cetaceans: whales, dolphins, and porpoises • Also divided into baleen and toothed whales • All of life functions carried out in water • May be most intelligent non-primate mammals - very large brains Marine Mammals 4. Manatees (order Sirenia) Marine Mammals 4. Manatees (order Sirenia) • Only four living species • Thought to be distantly related to elephants • Completely vegetarian • West Indian manatee (in Florida) had no natural predators, have no defense behavior • Major cause of mortality collision with Legislative authority and governmental agencies Federal government 1. Legislation a. Marine Mammal Protection Act 1972 b. Endangered Species Act 1973 2. Treaties a. Migratory Bird Treaty Act 1918 b. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) 1973 Legislative authority and governmental agencies Federal government Agencies a. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service b. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (National Marine Fisheries Service) c. U.S. Forest Service d. Bureau of Land Management Legislative authority and governmental agencies Washington State government 1. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife 2. Dept. of Ecology 3. Dept. of Natural Resources Conservation of Marine Wildlife • • Prohibit or control commercial harvest Control oil transportation Reduce incidental take from commercial fisheries (gill-nets ,purse seines) • Conservation of MarineWildlife • Monitor prey fish populations (e.g. pollock-Steller’s sea lion) • • Reduce chemical contamination Safeguard terrestrial breeding locations, marine breeding grounds