1. Sperm whales hang out in groups of about 10 females with their calves. If a killer whale attacks, calves will be surrounded by the adults for protection. Sperm whales also use this strategy to protect injured whales. 2. Some dolphins coordinate their feeding by surrounding a school of fish in a circle. Then the dolphins… [read more]
Behavior in marine mammals
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]
Balance: the inner ear of whales
Everyone is talking about balance these days, work/life balance, nutritional balance, balance balls, the need for more balance in day to day life, but little is mentioned about the very important vital sense organ that keeps you truly balanced: the inner ear. Without a functioning inner ear your world would be spinning out of control… [read more]
Baiji: Yangtze River dolphin RIP
Drawing of the extinct Yangtze River dolphin The “B” section of the Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals has taken us to a very sad place. The baiji, also referred to as the Yangtze River dolphin, is extinct. Now this isn’t a prehistoric dolphin that died out thousands of years ago, this freshwater dolphin lived to see… [read more]
Australian Snubfin Dolphin
The Australian snubfin dolphin or Orcaella heinsohni is a curious creature indeed. According to the Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, this dolphin used to be considered an irrawady dolphin, but after much analysis and noticeable differences in color, skull shapes and body shapes scientists determined that the Australian snubfin dolphin is a separate species and was officially declared… [read more]
Atlantic White-sided Dolphin
The Atlantic white-sided dolphin or Lagenorhynchus acutus hangs out in the cold water of the north Atlantic Ocean. According to the Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, this dolphin has been spotted as far south as Cape Cod, as far north as southern Iceland and as far east as the Norwegian Sea. Considered to be one of the most… [read more]
Atlantic Spotted Dolphin
Finally a dolphin that sounds easy to identify, the Atlantic spotted dolphin or Stenella frontalis must be easy to spot (no pun intended) with all the spots on its body. Oh but of course it’s not that simple, some Atlantic spotted dolphins have many spots and others not so much. According to the Encyclopedia of… [read more]
Archaeocetes: ancestors of the whales
Today’s whales, dolphins and porpoises can trace their ancestry to Archaeocetes, the name given to a group of prehistoric whales that lived 55 to 34 million years ago. However, these animals looked nothing like whales. Well I’m being overly dramatic; one looks kind of like a whale, but it not exactly. Based on the drawings… [read more]
Antarctic Marine Mammals
After a journey with the Antarctic fur seal, the Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals features Antarctic marine mammals in general. These robust marine mammals live within the Antarctic convergence, an invisible natural border where the extremely cold Southern Ocean meets warmer water from the north. Most marine mammals who live further north do not cross this… [read more]
Amazon River Dolphin: the pink dolphin
The Amazon River dolphin or Inia geoffrensisis is known locally in Brazil as boto or botovermelho. Vera da Silva, author of the Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals’ article, seems to prefer this name. Throughout the article the dolphin is referred to as “the boto.” Good nicknames for the boto could be Pepto Bismo or the Mary Kay crusader… [read more]
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