scholarly journals The Tactile Senses of Marine Mammals

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon B. Bauer ◽  
Roger L. Reep ◽  
Christopher D. Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Experimental Testing ◽  
Tactile Sensitivity ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Sea Otters ◽  
Baleen Whales ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Behavioral Evidence ◽  
Sense Of Touch ◽  
Aquatic Mammals

The successful return of mammals to aquatic environments presented numerous sensory challenges to overcome. Aquatic habitats reduced the utility of vision and the type of chemoreception important in terrestrial perception. In several orders, the sense of touch assumed greater importance, especially when enhanced by the development of vibrissal (sensory hair) systems. Species of two extant orders, Sirenia and Cetacea, lost all of their hairs except for vibrissae. In the former, these hairs cover the entire bodies of the two families, Trichechidae and Dugongidae. Hairs in adult cetaceans are more constrained (e.g., some river dolphins and baleen whales) and are restricted primarily to rostral regions. Pinnipeds and sea otters retained their pelage, but in addition have elaborated their mystacial and other facial vibrissae. High numbers of vibrissal receptors, associated dense innervation, prominence of neural tracts, and hypertrophy of brain areas associated with touch suggest an importance of tactile senses for aquatic mammals. Experimental testing has demonstrated the exquisite tactile sensitivity of many marine mammal species. Sensory hairs contribute to that tactile sensitivity in both haptic and mechanosensory contexts. Several, if not most, pinniped species, seals and sea lions, can track prey based on mechanoreception alone. In this review we will discuss the neurobiological and behavioral evidence for the tactile senses of marine mammals.

Estimating mean body masses of marine mammals from maximum body lengths

1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (5) ◽  
pp. 886-896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew W Trites ◽  
Daniel Pauly
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Growth Curves ◽  
Survival Models ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
Baleen Whales ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Maximum Body ◽  
Maximum Body Length

Generalized survival models were applied to growth curves published for 17 species of cetaceans (5 mysticetes, 12 odontocetes) and 13 species of pinnipeds (1 odobenid, 4 otariids, 8 phocids). The mean mass of all individuals in the population was calculated and plotted against the maximum body length reported for each species. The data showed strong linearity (on logarithmic scales), with three distinct clusters of points corresponding to the mysticetes (baleen whales), odontocetes (toothed whales), and pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walruses). Exceptions to this pattern were the sperm whales, which appeared to be more closely related to the mysticetes than to the odontocetes. Regression equations were applied to the maximum lengths reported for 76 species of marine mammals without published growth curves. Estimates of mean body mass were thus derived for 106 living species of marine mammals.

8. Aquatic mammals

2017 ◽  
pp. 89-105
Author(s):  
T. S. Kemp
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Hot Springs ◽  
Japanese Macaque ◽  
Aquatic Life ◽  
Specific Adaptation ◽  
Macaque Monkeys ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Aquatic Adaptation ◽  
Bodies Of Water ◽  
Aquatic Mammals

Virtually all mammals can swim at least sufficiently well to cross bodies of water, but the extent of specific adaptation for aquatic life varies amongst different mammals from no more than modified behaviour like the Japanese macaque monkeys spending their days sitting in hot springs, through different degrees of amphibiousness to the permanently marine whales and dolphins, dugongs and manatees that cannot come out onto land at all. ‘Aquatic mammals’ first discusses the mammals living in freshwater that have evolved various degrees of aquatic adaptation before considering the marine mammals such as pinnipeds (sea lions, seals, and walruses), sirenians (dugongs and manatees), and cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises).

scholarly journals Do Pinnipeds have Personality? Broad Dimensions and Contextual Consistency of Behavior in Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina) and California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus).

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amber J. de Vere ◽  
Malin K. Lilley ◽  
Lauren Highfill
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Routine Activity ◽  
Personality Factors ◽  
Harbor Seals ◽  
Behavioral Consistency ◽  
California Sea Lions ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Sea Lions

Personality has now been studied in species as diverse as chimpanzees and cuttlefish, but marine mammals remain vastly underrepresented in this area. A broad range of traits have been assessed only once in each of bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions, while consistent individual differences in a few specific behaviors have been identified in grey seals. Furthermore, the context component of definitions of personality is not often assessed, despite evidence that animals may show individual patterns of behavioral consistency across contexts. The current study therefore aimed to use behavioral coding to assess underlying personality factors and consistency across contexts in two marine mammal species: California sea lions and harbor seals. In both species, two personality factors were extracted using exploratory factor analysis. Both were broadly similar across species; the first, Boldness, resembled human Extraversion, and to some extent Openness, with sea lions exhibiting a greater social component. The second factor was labeled Routine Activity, and may contain some Conscientiousness-like traits. Species-specific patterns were also identified for interactive behaviors across two contexts. However, there was substantial individual variation in the frequency of these behaviors, as well as some animals who did not conform to group-level trends. This study therefore provides novel evidence for broad personality factors and both group- and individual-level patterns of contextual consistency in two pinniped species.

Atlas of Marine Mammal Distribution and Abundance in Mexican Waters

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gisela Heckel ◽  
◽  
M.G. Ruiz Mar ◽  
Y. Schramm ◽  
U. Gorter
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Sea Otter ◽  
Baleen Whale ◽  
Sea Lion ◽  
Sea Otters ◽  
Cetacean Species ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
The World ◽  
Toothed Whale ◽  
Mammal Distribution

Marine mammals are a group of charismatic megafauna, capable of awakening fascination in most people, which makes them especially visible when natural resources or ecosystems are exploited, as is the case with the generation of energy using the sea. There are 131 species of marine mammals in the world, including whales, dolphins, sea lions, seals, walruses, sea otters, polar bears, manatees and dugongs. Mexico’s marine environment is megadiverse, with 38 cetacean species (eight mysticeti or baleen whale species, 30 odontoceti or toothed whale species, dolphins and porpoises), four pinnipeds (two seal species and two sea lion species), one sea otter sub-species and one manatee subspecies (

scholarly journals The Protection of Animals During Warfare

AJIL Unbound ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 272-276
Author(s):  
Jérôme de Hemptinne
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Rapid Rate ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Armed Groups ◽  
Military Operations ◽  
Protected Species ◽  
California Sea Lions ◽  
Animal Products ◽  
Sea Lions

In times of war, the first instinct is to relieve the suffering of human beings. Environmental and animal interests are always pushed into the background. However, warfare strongly affects natural resources, including animals, which makes animal issues a matter of great concern. Certain species have been vanishing at a rapid rate because of wars, often with disastrous effects on the food chain and on the ecological balance. Indeed, belligerents rarely take into account the adverse consequences of their military operations on animals. They even take advantage of the chaotic circumstances of war in order to poach protected species and to engage in the trafficking of expensive animal products. While generating billions of dollars each year, such poaching and trafficking allows armed groups to grow and to reinforce their authority over disputed territory. States have also trained, and continue to train, certain animals—principally marine mammals such as bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions—to perform military tasks, like ship and harbor protection, or mine detection and clearance. Millions of horses, mules, donkeys, camels, dogs, and birds are obliged to serve on various fronts (transport, logistics, or communications) and become particularly vulnerable targets.

Cone visual pigments of aquatic mammals

2005 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 873-879 ◽  
Author(s):  
LUCY A. NEWMAN ◽  
PHYLLIS R. ROBINSON
Keyword(s):  
Color Vision ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Splice Site Mutation ◽  
Harbor Seal ◽  
Site Mutation ◽  
Cetacean Species ◽  
Cone Opsin ◽  
Aquatic Mammals

It has long been hypothesized that the visual systems of animals are evolutionarily adapted to their visual environment. The entrance many millions of years ago of mammals into the sea gave these new aquatic mammals completely novel visual surroundings with respect to light availability and predominant wavelengths. This study examines the cone opsins of marine mammals, hypothesizing, based on previous studies [Fasick et al. (1998) and Levenson & Dizon (2003)], that the deep-dwelling marine mammals would not have color vision because the pressure to maintain color vision in the dark monochromatic ocean environment has been relaxed. Short-wavelength-sensitive (SWS) and long-wavelength-sensitive (LWS) cone opsin genes from two orders (Cetacea and Sirenia) and an additional suborder (Pinnipedia) of aquatic mammals were amplified from genomic DNA (for SWS) and cDNA (for LWS) by PCR, cloned, and sequenced. All animals studied from the order Cetacea have SWS pseudogenes, whereas a representative from the order Sirenia has an intact SWS gene, for which the corresponding mRNA was found in the retina. One of the pinnipeds studied (harp seal) has an SWS pseudogene, while another species (harbor seal) appeared to have an intact SWS gene. However, no SWS cone opsin mRNA was found in the harbor seal retina, suggesting a promoter or splice site mutation preventing transcription of the gene. The LWS opsins from the different species were expressed in mammalian cells and reconstituted with the 11-cis-retinal chromophore in order to determine maximal absorption wavelengths (λmax) for each. The deeper dwelling Cetacean species had blue shifted λmax values compared to shallower-dwelling aquatic species. Taken together, these findings support the hypothesis that in the monochromatic oceanic habitat, the pressure to maintain color vision has been relaxed and mutations are retained in the SWS genes, resulting in pseudogenes. Additionally, LWS opsins are retained in the retina and, in deeper-dwelling animals, are blue shifted in λmax.

scholarly journals Physiological constraints and energetic costs of diving behaviour in marine mammals: a review of studies using trained Steller sea lions diving in the open ocean

2016 ◽  
Vol 187 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. S. Rosen ◽  
Allyson G. Hindle ◽  
Carling D. Gerlinsky ◽  
Elizabeth Goundie ◽  
Gordon D. Hastie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Open Ocean ◽  
Diving Behaviour ◽  
Steller Sea Lions ◽  
Energetic Costs ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Physiological Constraints

scholarly journals The role of marine mammals in the Barents Sea foodweb

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. i37-i53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Anne Blanchet ◽  
Raul Primicerio ◽  
André Frainer ◽  
Susanne Kortsch ◽  
Mette Skern-Mauritzen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Phylogenetic Group ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Phylogenetic Groups ◽  
Baleen Whales ◽  
Trophic Links ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Network Modularity

Abstract Marine mammals are important players in the Barents Sea ecosystem but their structural role in the foodweb has been little explored. We compare foodweb-related characteristics within and between phylogenetic groups for 19 marine mammals. As a group, they directly connect to the most central species (i.e cod and haddock) in the Barents Sea (i.e. cod and haddock) and consume over half of the available species. Pinnipeds are the most homogenous phylogenetic group with high omnivory and high prey richness. Mysticetes are split between well-connected species with high omnivory like the humpback whale, and peripheral specialists like the blue whale. Based on foodweb-derived indices some species consistently cluster together forming two groups, suggesting topological redundancy within them. One is dominated by Arctic seals and the other includes most of the baleen whales. Marine mammals generally contribute to network modularity as their trophic links are mainly within their own module. However, Atlantic species such as the grey seal act as a module connector decreasing modularity. This might negatively affect ecosystem robustness with perturbation effects spreading further and quicker in the foodweb. In the Arctic reaches of the Barents Sea, climate warming is likely to bring about extensive changes in the foodweb structure through a redistribution of species.

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