whales 101 powerpoint created by kristi m. willis photo credits: kenneth c. balcolmb iii, ken...
TRANSCRIPT
WHALES 101
POWERPOINT created by Kristi M. Willis
Photo Credits: Kenneth C. Balcolmb III, Ken Bohn/SEAWORLD, Carpenter family, Bob Cranston/Innerspace Visions, Paul Forestell, John Green, Dan McSweeney, Tony Martin, Planet Earth
Pictures, Greg Spencer, Larry Foster, and Kristi M. Willis.
SUH-TAY-SHUNS !!
CETACEAN• From the Latin “cetus,” meaning a
large sea animal
• From the Greek “ketos,” meaning a sea monster
• Taxonomic Order of marine mammals including whales,
dolphins and porpoises
Taxonomic Comparison HUMAN BLUE
WHALE
•KINGDOM: Animalia Animalia
•PHYLUM: Chordata Chordata
•CLASS: MammaliaMammalia
•ORDER: Primates Cetacea
•FAMILY: Hominidae Balaenopteridae
•GENUS: Homo Balaenoptera
•SPECIES: sapiens musculus
Mysticeti vs. Odontoceti
* ~10 recognized species * ~70 recognized species
* 2 blowholes
* females larger than males
* 1 blowhole* males larger than
females* teeth are used to
catch prey, but not for chewing
* age determined by counting growth layers in waxy ear plug
* age determined by counting growth layers in teeth
the baleen whales the toothed whales
* baleen plates act as a sieve to strain organisms from the water
* undertake lengthy migrations
between distinct breeding and feeding
grounds
* make smaller seasonal movements (inshore-offshore)
Basic Anatomy
Rostrum 2 blowholes
Caudal fin or “fluke”
Pectoral fin
Baleen plates
Throat pleats
of a mysticete
Dorsal fin
MYSTICETESBaleen plates hang from upper jaw only and vary in size,
color and shape. Gray whales have creamy-colored baleen.
Baleen is made of keratin – same protein as human hair and fingernails! This is a
humpback’s open mouth.
Basic Anatomyof an odontocete
Dorsal fin
1 blowhole Rostrum
Pectoral fins
Caudal fin or “fluke”
Teeth
ODONTOCETESTeeth come in all shapes and sizes, too. These are the conical shaped teeth of a killer whale.
Dolphins vs. Porpoises
• Prominent beak and melon• Longer, more sleek bodies• More tapered pectoral fins• Cone-shaped teeth
• No true beak and melon is streamlined
• Short, stocky bodies• Blunt pectoral fins• Spade-shaped teeth
…so what IS the difference, anyway?!
Sperm Whale
Bottlenose Dolphin
Harbor Porpoise
Stejneger’s Beaked Whale
Baird’s Beaked Whale
Teeth are uniform
throughout a cetacean’s
mouth because they are not
specialized for purposes of
chewing. They are strictly for
catching prey or tearing flesh.
Food is swallowed
whole.
They are positively buoyant so they need to thrust their flukes out of the water in
order to make a dive.