Role of Cetaceans in Ecosystem Functioning
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Toothed Vs. Baleen Whales Monday
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE: TOOTHED VS. BALEEN WHALES MONDAY Their classifications help to give you the answer, so what do you think the most obvious difference is in a toothed whale versus a baleen whale? Your clues are in the close-up photos, below! PHOTO: TASLI SHAW PHOTO: CINDY HANSEN Answer: The most obvious difference between a toothed whale and a baleen whale is the way that they feed and what’s inside their mouth. Toothed whales (including all dolphins and porpoises) have teeth, like we do, and they actively hunt fish, squid, and other sea creatures. Their teeth help them capture, bite, and tear their food into smaller pieces before swallowing. Baleen whales have several hundred plates that hang from their upper jaw, instead of teeth. These plates are made of keratin, the same substance as our hair and fingernails, and are used to filter food from the water or the sediment. Once the food has been trapped in the baleen plates, the whales will use their massive tongues to scrape the food off and swallow it. SPOT THE DIFFERENCE: TOOTHED VS. BALEEN WHALES TUESDAY The photos provided show specific prey types for resident orcas and for the gray whales that stop to feed in Saratoga Passage in the spring. Besides being two different species, what is another difference between these prey types? Who eats what and what makes you think that? Answer: The photos show Chinook salmon and ghost shrimp. Other than being two different species, their main difference is size! A toothed whale, like a resident orca, uses their teeth to capture, bite, and tear Chinook salmon into smaller pieces to be shared with other orcas in their family. -
Commonly Found Marine Mammals of Puget Sound
Marine Mammals of Puget Sound Pinnipeds: Seals & Sea Lions Cetaceans: Pacific Harbor Seal Whales, Dolphins & Porpoise Phoca vitulina Adults mottled tan or blue-gray with dark spots Seal Pups Orca Male: 6'/300 lbs; Female: 5'/200 pounds Earless (internal ears, with externally visible hole) (or Killer Whale) Short fur-covered flippers, nails at end Drags rear flippers behind body Orcinus orca Vocalization: "maah" (pups only) Black body with white chin, Most common marine mammal in Puget Sound belly, and eyepatch Shy, but curious. Pupping occurs June/July in Average 23 - 26'/4 - 8 tons the Strait of Juan de Fuca and San Juan Islands Southern Resident orcas (salmon-eating) are Endangered, travel in larger pods Northern Elephant Seal If you see a seal pup Transient (marine mammal -eating) orcas alone on the beach travel in smaller pods Orcas are most often observed in inland waters Mirounga angustirostris DO NOT DISTURB - fall - spring; off San Juan Islands in summer Brownish-gray it’s the law! Dall's Porpoise Male: 10-12'/4,000-5,000 lbs Human encroachment can stress the pup Female: 8-9'/900-1,000 lbs. Phocoenoides dalli and scare the mother away. Internal ears (slight hole) For your safety and the health of the pup, Harbor Porpoise Black body/white belly and sides Short fur-covered flippers, nails at end leave the pup alone. Do not touch! White on dorsal fin trailing edge Drags rear flippers behind body Phocoena phocoena Average 6 - 7'/300 lbs. Vocalization: Guttural growl or belch Dark gray or black Travels alone or in groups of 2 - 20 or more Elephant seals are increasing in with lighter sides and belly Creates “rooster tail” spray, number in this region Average 5- 6'/120 lbs. -
Order CETACEA Suborder MYSTICETI BALAENIDAE Eubalaena Glacialis (Müller, 1776) EUG En - Northern Right Whale; Fr - Baleine De Biscaye; Sp - Ballena Franca
click for previous page Cetacea 2041 Order CETACEA Suborder MYSTICETI BALAENIDAE Eubalaena glacialis (Müller, 1776) EUG En - Northern right whale; Fr - Baleine de Biscaye; Sp - Ballena franca. Adults common to 17 m, maximum to 18 m long.Body rotund with head to 1/3 of total length;no pleats in throat; dorsal fin absent. Mostly black or dark brown, may have white splotches on chin and belly.Commonly travel in groups of less than 12 in shallow water regions. IUCN Status: Endangered. BALAENOPTERIDAE Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacepède, 1804 MIW En - Minke whale; Fr - Petit rorqual; Sp - Rorcual enano. Adult males maximum to slightly over 9 m long, females to 10.7 m.Head extremely pointed with prominent me- dian ridge. Body dark grey to black dorsally and white ventrally with streaks and lobes of intermediate shades along sides.Commonly travel singly or in groups of 2 or 3 in coastal and shore areas;may be found in groups of several hundred on feeding grounds. IUCN Status: Lower risk, near threatened. Balaenoptera borealis Lesson, 1828 SIW En - Sei whale; Fr - Rorqual de Rudolphi; Sp - Rorcual del norte. Adults to 18 m long. Typical rorqual body shape; dorsal fin tall and strongly curved, rises at a steep angle from back.Colour of body is mostly dark grey or blue-grey with a whitish area on belly and ventral pleats.Commonly travel in groups of 2 to 5 in open ocean waters. IUCN Status: Endangered. 2042 Marine Mammals Balaenoptera edeni Anderson, 1878 BRW En - Bryde’s whale; Fr - Rorqual de Bryde; Sp - Rorcual tropical. -
Cetaceans: Whales and Dolphins
CETACEANS: WHALES AND DOLPHINS By Anna Plattner Objective Students will explore the natural history of whales and dolphins around the world. Content will be focused on how whales and dolphins are adapted to the marine environment, the differences between toothed and baleen whales, and how whales and dolphins communicate and find food. Characteristics of specific species of whales will be presented throughout the guide. What is a cetacean? A cetacean is any marine mammal in the order Cetaceae. These animals live their entire lives in water and include whales, dolphins, and porpoises. There are 81 known species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises. The two suborders of cetaceans are mysticetes (baleen whales) and odontocetes (toothed whales). Cetaceans are mammals, thus they are warm blooded, give live birth, have hair when they are born (most lose their hair soon after), and nurse their young. How are cetaceans adapted to the marine environment? Cetaceans have developed many traits that allow them to thrive in the marine environment. They have streamlined bodies that glide easily through the water and help them conserve energy while they swim. Cetaceans breathe through a blowhole, located on the top of their head. This allows them to float at the surface of the water and easily exhale and inhale. Cetaceans also have a thick layer of fat tissue called blubber that insulates their internals organs and muscles. The limbs of cetaceans have also been modified for swimming. A cetacean has a powerful tailfin called a fluke and forelimbs called flippers that help them steer through the water. Most cetaceans also have a dorsal fin that helps them stabilize while swimming. -
Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles of the Mediterranean and Black Seas
Marine mammals and sea turtles of the Mediterranean and Black Seas MEDITERRANEAN AND BLACK SEA BASINS Main seas, straits and gulfs in the Mediterranean and Black Sea basins, together with locations mentioned in the text for the distribution of marine mammals and sea turtles Ukraine Russia SEA OF AZOV Kerch Strait Crimea Romania Georgia Slovenia France Croatia BLACK SEA Bosnia & Herzegovina Bulgaria Monaco Bosphorus LIGURIAN SEA Montenegro Strait Pelagos Sanctuary Gulf of Italy Lion ADRIATIC SEA Albania Corsica Drini Bay Spain Dardanelles Strait Greece BALEARIC SEA Turkey Sardinia Algerian- TYRRHENIAN SEA AEGEAN SEA Balearic Islands Provençal IONIAN SEA Syria Basin Strait of Sicily Cyprus Strait of Sicily Gibraltar ALBORAN SEA Hellenic Trench Lebanon Tunisia Malta LEVANTINE SEA Israel Algeria West Morocco Bank Tunisian Plateau/Gulf of SirteMEDITERRANEAN SEA Gaza Strip Jordan Suez Canal Egypt Gulf of Sirte Libya RED SEA Marine mammals and sea turtles of the Mediterranean and Black Seas Compiled by María del Mar Otero and Michela Conigliaro The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN. Published by Compiled by María del Mar Otero IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, Spain © IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and Malaga, Spain Michela Conigliaro IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, Spain Copyright © 2012 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources With the support of Catherine Numa IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, Spain Annabelle Cuttelod IUCN Species Programme, United Kingdom Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the sources are fully acknowledged. -
Mandible Allometry in Extant and Fossil Balaenopteridae (Cetacea: Mammalia): the Largest Vertebrate Skeletal Element and Its Role in Rorqual Lunge Feeding
bs_bs_banner Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 108, 586–599. With 6 figures Mandible allometry in extant and fossil Balaenopteridae (Cetacea: Mammalia): the largest vertebrate skeletal element and its role in rorqual lunge feeding NICHOLAS D. PYENSON1,2*, JEREMY A. GOLDBOGEN3 and ROBERT E. SHADWICK4 1Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, DC, 20013-7013, USA 2Departments of Mammalogy and Paleontology, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, WA 98195, USA 3Cascadia Research Collective, 218½ West 4th Avenue, Olympia, WA, USA 4Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4 Received 4 July 2012; revised 10 September 2012; accepted for publication 10 September 2012 Rorqual whales (crown Balaenopteridae) are unique among aquatic vertebrates in their ability to lunge feed. During a single lunge, rorquals rapidly engulf a large volume of prey-laden water at high speed, which they then filter to capture suspended prey. Engulfment biomechanics are mostly governed by the coordinated opening and closing of the mandibles at large gape angles, which differentially exposes the floor of the oral cavity to oncoming flow. The mouth area in rorquals is delimited by unfused bony mandibles that form kinetic linkages to each other and with the skull. The relative scale and morphology of these skeletal elements have profound consequences for the energetic efficiency of foraging in these gigantic predators. Here, we performed a morphometric study of rorqual mandibles using a data set derived from a survey of museum specimens. Across adult specimens of extant balaenopterids, mandibles range in size from ~1–6 m in length, and at their upper limit they represent the single largest osteological element of any vertebrate, living or extinct. -
A Metapopulation Model for Whale-Fall Specialists: the Largest Whales Are Essential to Prevent Species Extinctions
THE SEA: THE CURRENT AND FUTURE OCEAN Journal of Marine Research, 77, Supplement, 283–302, 2019 A metapopulation model for whale-fall specialists: The largest whales are essential to prevent species extinctions by Craig R. Smith,1,2 Joe Roman,3 and J. B. Nation4 ABSTRACT The sunken carcasses of great whales (i.e., whale falls) provide an important deep-sea habitat for more than 100 species that may be considered whale-fall specialists. Commercial whaling has reduced the abundance and size of whales, and thus whale-fall habitats, as great whales were hunted and removed from the oceans, often to near extinction. In this article, we use a metapopulation modeling approach to explore the consequences of whaling to the abundance and persistence of whale-fall habitats in the deep sea and to the potential for extinction of whale-fall specialists. Our modeling indicates that the persistence of metapopulations of whale-fall specialists is linearly related to the abundance of whales, and extremely sensitive (to the fourth power) to the mean size of whales. Thus, whaling-induced declines in the mean size of whales are likely to have been as important as declines in whale abundance to extinction pressure on whale-fall specialists. Our modeling also indicates that commercial whaling, even under proposed sustainable yield scenarios, has the potential to yield substantial extinction of whale-fall specialists. The loss of whale-fall habitat is likely to have had the greatest impact on the diversity of whale-fall specialists in areas where whales have been hunted for centuries, allowing extinctions to proceed to completion. -
Killer Whale Research and Conservation
2020 GRANT SLATE Killer Whale Research and Conservation NFWF CONTACTS Michelle Pico Program Director, Marine Conservation [email protected] 262-567-0601 PARTNERS Orca breaching in Puget Sound OVERVIEW ABOUT NFWF The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc., Chartered by Congress in 1984, Shell Oil Company, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic Atmospheric the National Fish and Wildlife Administration announced a 2020 round of funding for Killer Whale Research and Foundation (NFWF) protects and Conservation projects. Eight new grants totaling $918,713 were awarded. The eight restores the nation’s fish, wildlife, awards announced generated $3,200,186 in grantee matching contributions for a total plants and habitats. Working with conservation impact of $4,118,899. federal, corporate and individual partners, NFWF has funded more The following eight projects address three threat categories that were prioritized by the than 5,000 organizations and Washington Governor’s Orca Task Force in 2018: 1) prey availability, 2) vessel impacts, generated a total conservation and 3) toxins/pollutants. All three of these priorities are connected. Vessel sounds and impact of $6.1 billion. disturbance reduces hunting success for prey (Chinook salmon) that are already in low abundance and of sub-optimal size. Reduced nutrition means lowered immunity and a Learn more at www.nfwf.org release of fat stores that may contain toxics that get released into the blood stream. NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS Therefore the 2020 awards focuses heavily on increasing prey availability which will 1133 15th Street, NW take the longest to achieve, while also minimizing other risks to whale health while these Suite 1000 salmon stocks recover. -
Southern Right Whale Recovery Plan 2005
SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALE RECOVERY PLAN 2005 - 2010 The southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) is listed as endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). This plan outlines the measures necessary to ensure recovery of the Australian population of southern right whales and is set out in accordance with Part 13, Division 5 of the EPBC Act. Objectives for recovery The objectives are: • the recovery of the southern right whale population utilising Australian waters so that the population can be considered secure in the wild; • a distribution of southern right whales utilising Australian waters that is similar to the pre- exploitation distribution of the species; and • to maintain the protection of southern right whales from human threats. For the purposes of this plan ‘secure in the wild’ is defined qualitatively, recognising that stricter definitions are not yet available, but will be refined and where possible quantified during the life of this plan by work currently underway and identified in the actions of this plan. ‘Secure in the wild’ with respect to southern right whales in Australian waters means: a population with sufficient geographic range and distribution, abundance, and genetic diversity to provide a stable population over long time scales. Criteria to measure performance of the plan against the objectives It is not anticipated that the objectives for recovery will be achieved during the life of this plan. However, the following criteria can be used to measure the ongoing performance of this plan against the objectives: 1. the Australian population of southern right whales continued to recover at, or close to, the optimum biological rate (understood to be approximately 7% per annum at the commencement of this plan); 2. -
Deep-Sea Biology
Deep-Sea Biology (OCN430) - Syllabus Fall 2017 Instructors: Jeff Drazen, office MSB605, [email protected], 956-6567 Craig Smith, office MSB617, [email protected], 956-7776 T TH 12:00-1:15 POST708 Syllabus schedule subject to change Course Goals – The deep sea is the largest living space on the planet. Its inhabitants are varied and its communities are often complex, adapted to the particular characteristics of their habitat. This course will cover the major topics in the field, such as bentho-pelagic coupling, depth zonation, energetics, diversity, ecosystem function, adaptations, and the ecology of major habitats. The last portion of the course will deal with anthropogenic threats such as deep-sea fisheries, mining and global climate change. Its goal is to provide you with a basic understanding of what we know (and don’t know) about the biology, ecology and biodiversity of deep-sea ecosystems, the methods used in the field, and it will create a forum for discussion of the major current questions and recent exciting discoveries. Course Structure – After each lecture (or pair of lectures) students will lead a discussion session. The lectures will present the basics of the topics. The discussions will be based on assigned readings (primarily current scientific papers), allowing the class to explore the controversies, implications of recent findings, and highlight future directions for research. Student Learning Outcomes – At the end of this course you will be able to: 1) Describe the co-varying effects of temperature, pressure, oxygen and light levels on the adaptations of deep-sea organisms. 2) Evaluate the influence of variables co-varying with depth on communities, populations, and species. -
Modern Whaling
This PDF is a selection from an out-of-print volume from the National Bureau of Economic Research Volume Title: In Pursuit of Leviathan: Technology, Institutions, Productivity, and Profits in American Whaling, 1816-1906 Volume Author/Editor: Lance E. Davis, Robert E. Gallman, and Karin Gleiter Volume Publisher: University of Chicago Press Volume ISBN: 0-226-13789-9 Volume URL: http://www.nber.org/books/davi97-1 Publication Date: January 1997 Chapter Title: Modern Whaling Chapter Author: Lance E. Davis, Robert E. Gallman, Karin Gleiter Chapter URL: http://www.nber.org/chapters/c8288 Chapter pages in book: (p. 498 - 512) 13 Modern Whaling The last three decades of the nineteenth century were a period of decline for American whaling.' The market for oil was weak because of the advance of petroleum production, and only the demand for bone kept right whalers and bowhead whalers afloat. It was against this background that the Norwegian whaling industry emerged and grew to formidable size. Oddly enough, the Norwegians were not after bone-the whales they hunted, although baleens, yielded bone of very poor quality. They were after oil, and oil of an inferior sort. How was it that the Norwegians could prosper, selling inferior oil in a declining market? The answer is that their costs were exceedingly low. The whales they hunted existed in profusion along the northern (Finnmark) coast of Norway and could be caught with a relatively modest commitment of man and vessel time. The area from which the hunters came was poor. Labor was cheap; it also happened to be experienced in maritime pursuits, particularly in the sealing industry and in hunting small whales-the bottlenose whale and the white whale (narwhal). -
SDP PICOC Template
Environmental Studies Program: Ongoing Study Title Bowhead Whale Migration Patterns along the Alaskan Beaufort Shelf During a Period of Rapid Environmental Change (AK-21-04) Administered by Alaska Regional Office BOEM Contact(s) TBD Conducting Organization(s) TBD Total BOEM Cost TBD Performance Period FY 2021–2024 Final Report Due TBD Date Revised August 19, 2021 PICOC Summary Problem Evolving environmental conditions on the Beaufort Shelf appear to be changing the utilization of the shelf by bowhead whales and the bowhead whale migration path may be shifting farther offshore. Very few bowheads were seen on the Beaufort Shelf during the 2019 fall migration and only one whale was landed during the 2019 fall bowhead hunt at Utqiaġvik, Alaska, prompting community concern. However, the lack of contemporary measurements of hydrographic and whale prey conditions create challenges for diagnosing the changes near Pt. Barrow and across the Beaufort Shelf that may have influenced the bowhead whale migration. Intervention This study would renew and geographically expand annual hydrographic and plankton sampling conducted under the “BOWFEST” study (Shelden and Mocklin 2013). Comparison Collected data will be examined in the context of an 11-year (2005-2015) record of late August-early September biophysical (hydrography, currents, zooplankton) conditions in the NE Chukchi and western Beaufort seas. Outcome This project will provide new basic information on hydrography, circulation, and zooplankton prey fields encountered by migrating bowhead whales to improve understanding of the recent behavioral changes of the whales. Results from this effort also will provide context for assessing ongoing changes to the ecosystem and establish a baseline for the “new normal” that is currently being observed.