Download Order Cetacea

Order Cetacea
Whales and Dolphins
Classification
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Phylum Chordata
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Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Mammalia
 Order Cetacea
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Suborder Mysticeti – baleen whales
 Suborder Odontoceti – toothed whales
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Dolphin is a common name!
Characteristics
100% time spent in the water
 Blowhole (nostrils on top of head)
 No rear limbs
 Fluke (tail)
 Blubber present
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Characteristics
Approx. 90 species
 All marine except 5 freshwater dolphins
 Found in all oceans
 Long lived w/ low reproductive rate
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Behavior - Vocalization
Huge role in maintaining relationships
 Can be heard for miles
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Whale song…
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http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/blue
planet/sounds/sounds.html
Classification
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2 groups:
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Baleen whales (“Great whales”)
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Mysticeti
Toothed whales
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Odontoceti
Suborder Mysticeti
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Baleen – rows flexible, fibrous plates
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attached to upper jaw
Rorqual – grooves beneath the mouth
3 eating strategies
1.
2.
3.
Gulp feeding – use rorqual, krill and small fish
Sieve feeding – swim with mouth open, smaller
plankton
Bottom feeder – mouthfuls of sediment and water
“right or left handed”
Suborder Mysticeti
Large size
 Move singly or in pair groups
 Migrate large distances
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Give birth to one calf at a time
 Very long life span
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Baleen Whales
Baleen Whales
Suborder Odontoceti
Generally smaller
 Include all dolphins and porpoises
 Can be found in large pods (> 100)
 Give birth to one calf at a time
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Suborder Odontoceti
Hunt in packs, work cooperatively
 Diet fish, squid, invertebrates, mammals
 Do not chew food – eat whole
 Rely on echolocation to find food
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Have developed new hunting styles based
on individual populations
Toothed Whales
Toothed Whales
Suborder Odontoceti