3. Orders
Order Carnivora
– Polar Bears and Sea Otters
Order Pinnipedia
– Seals, Sea Lions and Walruses
Order Cetacea
– Whales, Dolphins
Order Sirenia
– Manatees and Dugongs
4. General Information
~ 4600 species
Contain a 4 chambered heart
Endothermic
Breath Air and require oxygen
Viviparous
Contain mammary glands
– feed offspring with milk
Grow hair
5. 4 Traits Shared by all
Mammals
Streamlined bodies
Generate internal body heat
Respiratory system is modified
Osmotic adaptations (Diffusion of
water)
Heterodonts
– Odont = teeth
7. Sea Otters
– Family Mustelidae
– Genus Enhydra
– “Kelp Keepers”
– 3 types of otters
Alaskan
Russian (rt)
California
All sea otters today came from Big Sur
Colony (south of Monterey)
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9. Sea Otters
Staying Warm
– ~ 2 hours of grooming per day
Add air bubbles to hair for insulation
– Average body temp 100°F
– Oil causes body temp to drop
Reproduction
– For groups called rafts
– Female tends to the offspring
– Mate for 3-5 days
– 1 pup per year
– Gestation ~ 6 months
11. Sea Otters
Diving
– Hold breath for ~1-2 minutes
Up to 5 min.
– Depth is 30-60 feet
Deepest known is 300feet
Food
– Eat about 25% of their body weight each day
– Eat crabs and sea urchins…..
13. Sea Otters
Size
– Weight = ~60-80lbs
– Length = ~4-5 feet
Number of species
– 2,500 early 20th century
– 100,000 + are protected today (3)
Life Span
– ~10 years but can live up to 25 years
20. Survival of the Polar
Bears
Skin
– Clear fur and skin is black and reflects white
– 2 layers of fur
– Thick fat layer
– More likely to over heat
Semi-aquatic
– Swim over 100 miles
or over a week to find
food
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23. Polar Bears
Life Span
– ~15 year
– Oldest recorded was 42 in a zoo
Reproduction
– Twins are most common
– 5 litters in their lives
– Gestation ~8 months
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