Sea Lions There are many types of sea lions in the world. There are seven species of sea lions, they are: the Stellar, Australian, South American, New Zealand, Galapagos, Japanese, and California sea lions. The kingdom for sea lions is Animalia, the phylum is Chordata, the class is Mammalia, the order is Pinnipedia, the family is Otariidae, and the species is Zalophus Californianus.
Sea lions live in many oceans throughout the world, but mainly in sub artic areas along the beaches. They are native to western North America and can be found in South America. Some prefer to live in warmer waters of the tropics. None however, are found in the Atlantic Ocean.
When it comes to feeding Sea Lions are known as Carnivorous meaning they eat meat.
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They are well designed to live in and out of the water. They have external ears that point downwards so that water cannot enter. Their head is quite small and attached to a large body. They range in colors from dark brown to dark gray. They have two flippers in the front and two flippers in the back, the ones in front are longer than the ones in back and do not have claws. At the end of the digits on the hind flippers are some short claws. They have 20 to 30 whiskers located on each side of the muzzle. They have a coat of blubber that keeps them warm when they are in the cold …show more content…
They evolved to webbed feet and flippers to help them survive in the water. They would go to the water because there was lack of food on land and changes in environmental temperatures. It was too hot for them on land, so they go in the cold water and spend most of their time there.
Sea lions can swim in the water or walk on land. They use their flippers to help them swim. Their hind flippers help them control what direction they go. The rotate their hind flippers so that the flippers can help support their weight. They leap out of the water while they swim.
The reproduction cycle can be very interesting. Sea lions begin to mate in late June and July. Male sea lions are not mature till they are six years old; they then start mating when they are ten. When looking for a mate the males will bark aggressively to get the attention of a female. Female sea lions will look for the strongest male to mate with. Each male sea lion will mate with 10 to 30 females and protect them from other males or danger. A female sea lion will carry her baby for eight to eleven months. The female sea lions give live birth to pups on land. Female sea lions normally give birth to one pup; however, it is not unusual for them to give birth to twins. When the pup is born it is a light brown color and has a coat of hair covering it to protect it from the cold water. The pup consumes milk from its mother to grow faster
The California sea lion is a pinniped. A pinniped is a carnivorous aquatic mammal of the order Pinnipedia. Sea lions, like all other pinnipeds, have nostrils that they can voluntarily close while diving in the water. Inside the nose of a sea lion are bones called turbinate bones. When the sea lion inhales, these bones moisten and warm the air and stop inhaled particles from going into the trachea or the lungs. In the back of the sea lion’s nose, there are ethmoidal turbinate bones which give it its keen sense of smell. The nasal septum of a sea lion separates the nasal cavity into left and right halves.
sea otters are from the kingdom animalia. Sea otters are stouter and have large rib cages, smaller tails and muzzle than other species of otters. Yet sea otters posses the fine, dense fur coats characteristic of the Mustelidae. Their forefeet are small and dexterous with retractile claws and the flipper like hind feet are broad and webbed. Sea otters once was abundant along most coastal North pacific ocean. That was before fur traders hunted them for their thick ice, luxurious pelts. By the year 1900, sea otters were nearly extinct . Protected since 1911, alaska sea otters have made a comeback. There lifespan is 10-15 years. Great white sharks are the primary predator of sea otters and occasionally eaten by coyote so the predators that the
Jefferson, T. A, M. A. Webber, and R. L. Pitman. (2008). Marine Mammals of the World, A Comprehensive Guide to their Identification. Amsterdam, Elsevier. p. 241-244.
Harbor seals are marine mammals that have spotted coats in a variety of shades from silver gray, black to dark brown. They reach 5 to 6 feet in length and weigh up to 300 pounds. Harbor seals are dimorphic, with the male being slightly larger than the female. They are true, or crawling seals, which means they have no external earflaps. True seals also have small flippers, and move on land by flopping along on their bellies. They breathe at the surface and hold their breath while diving. They can dive to 1,500 feet for up to 40 minutes, although their average dive lasts 3 to 7 minutes. Their scientific name basically means 'sea calf' or 'sea dog.' This nickname is fits them well, as these seals closely resemble a dog when their head is viewed at the surface of the water.
Today, in addition to the bottlenose dolphins, the Navy program includes sea lions and white beluga whales. The sea lions have excellent hearing and can dive much deeper than dolphins. They are trained for marking mines and retrieving torpedoes or practice mines, all while being more efficient than human divers. The white beluga whales dive deeper than the sea lions to recover inert torpedoes and are currently on loan from Sea World.
Such sea life as shrimp, squid, small sharks, other vertebrates and fish are all a part of a Bottle-nosed dolphins diet. When they find a large school of fish, several schools of dolphins join up to form groups of up to 1000 dolphins. They work together to head and catch the fish. Another feeding method the Bottle-nosed dolphin has developed is chasing the fish on to mud banks and snaps them in the air.
At any marine theme park, there are probably a cluster of seals and sea lions hanging out in their exhibits. Both animals have that chubby body and the same black eyes with large whiskers. For many, performing sea lions are the stars of the show even though many people routinely refer to the performances as “seal shows.” Even though most people are familiar with seals and sea lions, they don’t know how to distinguish between the two species. While both of these mammals share many abilities, these ‘second cousins’ are distinctly different from each other in many ways.
The wide paws prevent sea ice from breaking by distributing weight while walking. Their paws allow them to pull a 600 pound seal out of its breathing hole (Rosing, 20). The webbed feet result in making polar bears, unlike other bear species to be considered as marine mammals along with seals, sea lions, walruses, whales and dolphins (Polar Bear). According to Rosing, Polar bears are excellent swimmers and have been known to swim up to six miles an hour and as far as 60 miles at a stretch. Bears paddle with their front feet and steer with their back feet.
Lions have relatively short-legged, long, muscular bodies and large heads. The male grows on average to 1.7 to 2.5 m (5.6 to 8.2 ft) long, not including the tail, which is 90 to 105 cm (36 to 41 in) in length. It stands 1.23 m (4 ft) high at the shoulder, and it weighs 150 to 250 kg (330 to 550 lb). The mane, which covers the head and neck, sometimes extends to the shoulders and belly. The mane will vary in color and length; well-fed, healthy lions have longer, fuller manes. Females are smaller but equally muscular. Lions vary in color from golden to brown. The mane of a male lion will vary from black to yellow. Both sexes have retractable claws to keep them sharp when they are needed. Lions have wide powerful jaws. The lions roar, which can be heard by humans up to 9 (5.6 miles) kilometers away, is usually uttered before the animals hunt in the evening, after a successful hunt, and again in the early morning.
The Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, is part of the marine mammals group. They are found in oceans all over the world, they live in open waters. Even though they are mammals, they do not live on land (Monterey Bay Aquarium). Humpback whales are known for their magical song that can travel great distances. These gentle giants are omnivores, their main diet is krill. They are mostly found near coastlines feeding on tiny shrimp-like krill, plankton and small fish. Humpbacks migrate annually from summer feeding grounds near the poles to warmer winter breeding water closer to the Equator. Humpback whales are powerful swimmers, and they use their massive tail fin, called a fluke to propel themselves through or even out of the water! Mothers and their young swim close together, often touching one another with their flippers with what appears to be gestures of affection. Even though it takes more than one year for a humpback whale to grow fully, mother whales leave them after one year (National Geographic).
Be that as it may, with regards to sustenance, every lion pays special mind to itself. Lions likewise get a kick out of the chance to quarrel and battle with one another. Timbavati's white lions exist more promptly in prominent creative ability and zoos than they do in nature. These uncommon, pale-furred felines were initially "found" in 1975 by lion-analyst and preservationist Chris McBride, who experienced a lioness with three fledglings: one was a brownish male, however two were close
There is around 1,000 wild pandas left in the world. Zoo pandas are one of most popular animal in the world. Their Order is Carnivora and their family is Ursidae, also their genus and species are Ailuropoda melanoleuca.
Polar bears prefer to live in extremely cold artic climates. They live only in the Northern Hemisphere, on the arctic ice cap, and they spend most of their time on coastal areas. Polar bears are widely spread in Canada, extending from the northern arctic islands south to the Hudson Bay area. They are also found in Greenland, on islands off the shore of Norway, on the northern coast of the former Soviet Union, and on the northern and northwestern coasts of Alaska in the United States.
Did you know in the world there are more than 90 species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises? (WDC) The dolphin is a very important animal to the ocean and there are many different types to discover. In order to learn about dolphins, it is important to discuss where they live, their appearance, and what they eat. Some helpful words to understand are “dorsal fin”, a dorsal fin is the top pointed fin on the dolphins back, “flippers”, a flipper is a flat fin that dolphins use to swim, and “echolocation” is a tool dolphins use to find food by sounds bouncing off of objects (dictionary.com).