A mammalian marine animal. Types of marine mammals

It's no secret that the seas and oceans are places of distribution and habitat of the most unusual, beautiful and simply amazing animals. Until now, the fauna of the oceans and seas presents surprises to researchers. Discover the incredible animals, they study their way of life and interaction with each other.

Among the marine and ocean inhabitants there are representatives of all classes of animals, except perhaps birds. And even then, depending on what point of view to look at them. After all, many birds are hunting in the water, and penguins generally live in the ocean. But in this article I would like to dwell specifically on those who fit the definition of "mammalian sea animal."

Fauna of the seas and oceans

The organoleptic and chemical composition of water in the seas and oceans is practically the same. The water differs only in the content of some elements and in the concentration of salts. Therefore, their fauna is also very similar. Animals of the seas easily escape into the ocean, and the animals of the oceans perfectly feel themselves in the seas.

The fauna of these reservoirs is represented by animals of the following classes:

1. Molluscs of all kinds.
2. Crustaceans.
3. Fish.
4. Polyps.
5. Sponges.
6. Hydroid.
7. Insects.
8. Amphibians.
9. Reptiles.
10. Mammals.
11. Birds.

Obviously, the organic world of the oceans and seas is extremely diverse and large in terms of biomass volumes. Among the whole fauna, a marine mammal deserves special attention. Most often they live both on land and in water. However, there are also pure water inhabitants.

Species diversity of mammals in the seas

The species of mammal animals living in the seas and oceans are very interesting and diverse both in lifestyle and in appearance. Consider the main representatives.

1. Whales. They include different species: blue, gray, greenland, sperm whales, humpbacked, beaked, small minke whales and others.
2. Orcas. Very close to the whales animals, dangerous killers of sea and ocean open spaces.
3. Dolphins. Different species: bottlenose dolphins, beak-grass, short-headed, sea pigs, beluga whales and others.
4. Nerpa. Animals from the genus of seals, the most common are ringed seals.
5. Seals. Includes several species: lionfish, spotted seals, eared, real, lagheads and others.
6. Sea elephants are of two kinds: northern and southern.
7. Sea lions.
8. Sea Cows - to date, a practically moth-killed marine mammal.
9. Walruses.
10. Seals.

In total there are over 120 species of various marine mammals.

Signs of mammals

As with land species, marine and oceanic animals also have distinctive features, according to which they can be classed as mammals. What animals are mammals?

1. As for all representatives of this class, for marine and ocean mammals it is characteristic to feed their offspring with milk through special mammary glands.
2. These animals nurture offspring within themselves (intrauterine development) and reproduce it through the process of live birth.
3. This poikilothermic animals (warm-blooded), they have sweat glands, a thick layer of subcutaneous fat of glycogen.
4. There is a diaphragm that allows breathing.

These adaptations make it possible to relate all the above animals to sea and ocean mammals with confidence.

Features of the lifestyle of marine animals

Animals of the seas and oceans have a number of adaptations in order to feel confident and safe in the water. For example:

• Limbs transformed into fins for quick movement;
• Many of them have powerful sharp teeth (predators and carnivores);
• Large body size with a thick layer of subcutaneous fat;
• Streamlined body shape, increasing the speed of movement;
• The ability to give each other beeps (most).

Thanks to such adaptations ocean marine animals perfectly coexist with each other and the surrounding world. More often mammals of the seas try to keep cattle. This is typical for those who can not protect themselves from large predators except escape (fur seals, otters, seals, lions, seals).

Others, on the contrary, prefer solitude. This is more convenient for hunting and harassment of the victim (sperm whales, killer whales, predatory species of dolphins and whales).

The ability to send each other's audio signals is very important. So you can warn about the danger and save yourself in time. In addition, it is possible to share food with relatives.

With a rare exception, the life of marine mammals is diurnal. At night, they usually rest. However, there are exceptions (some species of whales, seals lead a nocturnal life).

Seabed mammals

A marine mammal that moves along the very bottom of the depths of the oceans and seas is a dugong or sea cow (siren). This animal is completely innocuous, it fully justifies its name, since it feeds exclusively on the vegetation of the bottom.

The sizes are average against the background of the remaining mammalian seas: about 4 m in length, weight about 600-650 kg. A person can safely sail next to the sea cow and even touch it, iron it. The animal is very affectionate, obedient and harmless, like a child.

In addition, this animal is one of the oldest on our planet (it appeared about 50 million years ago), it is listed in the Red Book. This is perhaps the only representative of the category "animals of the seabed."

The rest of the representatives of marine mammals prefer to spend time at the surface or in the water column, rarely sinking to the bottom.

The most dangerous animals of the oceans

The most dangerous ocean animals include:

1. Whale-killers (killer whales). Weigh more than 8 tons, in length reach 10 m. Ruthless killers, feeding on large fish, mammals and their own kind - whales.
2. Sperm whales. They attack squid, octopus and giant shellfish, they can eat large fish. The animal weighs about 50 tons, and the length is over 20 meters.
3. Sea lions. In appearance, lovely and completely harmless animals often attack a person, as they strictly guard their possessions. In addition, they are carnivorous and feed on fish, small animals.

Of course, there are still many dangers in the oceans. However, among marine mammal species the most dangerous are the above. The rest are either herbivores, or feed on plankton or small animals.

The largest animals of the oceans

The largest representatives of the largest mammalian animals include:

1. Blue or blue whale - in length reaches 33 m. Its weight varies from 90 to 120 tons. Only the heart of this whale weighs more than 600 kg!
2. The southern sea elephant - in length reaches 6 m. Weight from 5 to 6 tons. In addition to the grandiose size, these animals are also predators - dangerous and ferocious. Capable of submerging into the water to a depth of more than a thousand meters, if they set a goal to catch the victim at any cost.
3. Walruses reach a length of 4 m and weigh up to 2 tons. Extremely impressive sizes for a completely harmless disposition - feed on small invertebrates, tearing them out of the silt and sand at the bottom of the coastal zones. Big drowsies, spend a lot of time in group sleep on the banks of water bodies.

The most harmless animals of the seas and oceans

What are the names of marine animals that are the most harmless mammals of marine and oceanic expanses? The answer is known to every schoolboy: of course, bottlenose dolphins! Fans like to bathe with people, friendly and beautiful - they are happy and play, splash, jump (up to 6 m!) And deliver a lot of fun and pleasure to people.

Also to harmless sea animals include seals, otters, fur seals and some whales.