What are the 5 main characteristics of marine mammals?
They must meet the characteristics of all mammals — they breathe air through lungs, are warm-blooded, have hair (at some point during life), and produce milk to nurse their young — while also living most or all of their lives in or very near the ocean.
What are the five categories of marine mammals?
There are five groups of marine mammals: pinnipeds (or “flipper-footed” animals like seals, sea lions, fur seals and walruses), cetaceans (species that cannot survive on land, such as whales, dolphins and porpoises), sea otters (the smallest marine mammal), sirenians (warm water species such as dugongs and manatees) …
What are the three orders of marine mammals?
They are divided into three orders: Cetacea (dolphins, whales, and porpoises), Sirenia (sea cows), and Carnivora (carnivores).
What characteristics do marine mammals have in common?
Marine mammals share several common characteristics among all mammals, such as the need to breathe air, being warm-blooded, having mammary glands that produce milk to feed their young, giving birth to live young (pregnancy/gestation periods) and in some cases having hair.
What defines a marine animal?
Definitions of marine animal. any of numerous animals inhabiting the sea including e.g. fishes and molluscs and many mammals. synonyms: marine creature, sea animal, sea creature.
What are the smallest marine mammals?
As members of the weasel or mustelid family, southern sea otters are the smallest marine mammal.
What are the characteristics of all mammals?
1. What five characteristics do mammals have in common? Mammals have hair or fur; are warm-blooded; most are born alive; the young are fed milk produced by the mother’s mammary glands; and they have a more complex brain than other animals.
What are marine mammals?
Marine mammals are found in marine ecosystems around the globe. They are a diverse group of mammals with unique physical adaptations that allow them to thrive in the marine environment with extreme temperatures, depths, pressure, and darkness.
What are the adaptations of a marine mammal?
They are a diverse group of mammals with unique physical adaptations that allow them to thrive in the marine environment with extreme temperatures, depths, pressure, and darkness.
How are marine mammals protected in the US?
All marine mammals in waters of the United States are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). NOAA Fisheries collaborates with several partners to protect these species. Anyone can help protect marine mammals by showing proper ocean etiquette.
How did marine mammals evolve?
Mammals evolved on land around 160 million years ago. Each taxonomic marine mammal group evolved from a different group of land mammals, whose ancestors separately ventured back into the ocean environment.