Table of Contents
Specific Environmental Adaptations of Cetaceans 13
Density 13
Viscosity 15
Skeleton 16
General Body Shape 28
Body Surface 29
Thermal Conductivity 31
Swimming 36
Pinnipeds Locomotion 41
Walking on the Ground or Ice 41
Underwater Locomotion 42
Diving 42
Marine Mammals and Nitrogen 50
Toxicity 51
Tissue Supersaturation 51
Diving Adaptations in the Sperm whale 54
Circulatory System 58
Perceiving the Environment 61
Touch 61
Cetaceans 61
Pinnipeds 64
Olfaction 66
Taste 68
Vision 69
Hearing 73
Communication and Echolocation (Audiodetection) 81
Strandings 95
Nutrition 107
Odontocetes 107
Mysticetes 117
Pinnipeds 139
Marine Ecosystems and Food Resources 141
Migrations 147
Osmoregulation 155
Reproduction 161
Male Genitalia 162
Female Genitalia 168
Mating 170
Gestation 172
Pinnipeds 175
Lactation 176
Growth 180
Caring for the Young 181
Pinnipeds 182
Parasites and Enemies 183
Whales and Humans 193
Hunting or "Fishing" 193
The Basques and Whale Hunting 195
After the Basques 204
Pollution 210
Accidental Catches 212
Whales as Resources 213
Pinnipeds 221
Research 225
Historical Photography 234
Paleontology 245
Cetaceans Phylogeny 245
Problems with Fossils 246
Cetaceans Characteristics 248
Early Archeocetes 252
Adaptations to an Aquatic Life 253
Development of the Tail as a Propelling Tool 255
Remingtonocetids 255
Kutchicetus, Remintonocetidae 256
Basilosaurids 256
Odontocetes 260
Mysticetes 260
Archaic Odontocetes 261
Mysticetes 262
Archaic Mysticetes 262
Modern Mysticetes 264
Mounting Marine Mammals Skeletons 271
Mounting 279
Errors Made in Mounting CetaceansSkeletons 280
Causes of the Errors 281
Techniques 287
Fact Sheets 291
The Cetacea 292
The Mysticetes 293
The Bowhead Whale or Greenland Right Whale 294
The Black Right Whale 296
The Blue Whale 301
The Fin Whale 307
The Minke Whale 314
The Humpback Whale 321
The Sei Whale 328
The Tropical or Bryde's Whale 331
The Odontocetes 335
The Beluga Whale or White Whale 336
The Narwhal 342
The Sperm Whale 346
The Pygmy Sperm Whale 352
The Northern Bottlenose Whale 355
The Harbour Porpoise 361
The Pilot Whale or Long-Finned Pilot Whale 365
The Short-Finned Pilot Whale 370
The Killer Whale 371
The White-Sided Dolphin 375
The White-Beaked Dolphin 378
The Common Dolphin 380
The Striped Dolphin 383
The Bottlenose Dolphin 385
The Pinnipeds 390
Harbour Seal 391
Harp Seal 396
Grey Seal 401
Hooded Seal 405
Walrus 409
Northern Elephant Seal 414
Glossary 423
Bibliography 434