As fellow mammals, marine mammals spend a lot of time doing the same things we do. Shopping or hunting for food, eating, finding a mate, having sex, raising young, traveling and escaping bad guys are all activities occupying the time of marine mammals across the globe. But we have adapted to solid ground under our… [read more]
Bearded Seals: singing for love
As Valentine’s Day fast approaches, some of the men out there may want to take a few notes on how male bearded seals attract the ladies. These cumbersome looking marine mammals actually woo their women with song! According to the Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, the songs of the bearded seal can make the heart ache.… [read more]
Bearded Seals: sweet whiskers
The bearded seal or Erignathus barbatus is the Santa Claus of seals with fabulously long whiskers that curl a bit when dry. And how fitting since they live not far from the North Pole at the edge of the sea ice that extends in all directions from this northern most point. But the whiskers of… [read more]
5 interesting beaked whale tidbits
1. Beaked whales live in the open ocean and spend their time deep diving for squid. 2. Most beaked whales have two throat grooves in the shaped of a V. 3. The family Ziphiidae (scientific name for the beaked whale family) has been around since the Miocene epoch, about 23 to 5 million years ago. 4.… [read more]
Beaked Whales: an introduction
The “B” section of the Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals has now taken us to the beaked whales, the toothed-whales belonging to the family Ziphiidae. Not as much is known about these whales that prefer to hang out in the deep ocean diving for squid. In fact, the 21 species of beaked whales have had so… [read more]
Basilosaurids: the closest relatives of modern whales
The Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals has offered up another interesting tale, that of the basilosaurids, a now extinct family of whales. Like all ancient whales, basilosaurids are a type of archaeocetes, the common name for the oldest whales that now only exist in fossil form. (Check out my previous post on archaeocetes if you want… [read more]
Barnacles: living on a whale
Barnacles seem to have quite the life indeed. These crustaceans represent a diverse group that includes more than 1,000 species. Some of these barnacles have adapted to living on marine mammals and tend to hang out on some of the baleen whales. My guess is that it’s easier to live and stay attached to a… [read more]
Sanderlings: always on the run
The sanderlings or Calidris alba are the cute little birds obsessively running in and out with the tide. Sanderlings are pretty small, averaging 7.5 inches in length and weighing about 2.5 ounces. Females and males look alike with soft black eyes, dark black legs and feet, light gray feathers on the back and head, bright… [read more]
5 fun facts about baleen whales
1. The blue whale is the largest animal to ever live on earth, larger than the dinosaurs! 2. The bowhead whale lives in the most specialized habitat of all the baleen whales, the shallow seas of the Arctic. 3. The gray whale is the only baleen whale that sucks in ocean sediment to filter gammarid… [read more]
Baleen whales: an introduction
Baleen whales belong to the scientific suborder Mysticeti and include some of the largest animals to ever live on earth. This impressive group of whales encompass a broad range of preferred types of habits, habitats, migration patterns, food, communication and lifestyles. But they are all united by the same feeding strategy of using a “highly-specialized… [read more]
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