MSCI 324 Marine Mammals

Order Cetacea

What taxonomic order contains toothed and baleen whales?

Sub-Order Odontoceti

Which sub-order of Cetacea contains toothed whales?

Homodont teeth

What’s the identifying characteristic of odontocete dentition?

Asymmetrical

How would you describe the skull symmetry of odontocetes?

Fused

Are odontocete mandibles fused or unfused?

Parabolic

What shape do Odontocete skulls have?

One

How many blowholes do Odontocetes have?

Echolocation

What ability do many Odontocetes use to navigate and/or hunt prey?

No

Telescoping is seen in the skulls of both Odontocetes and Mysticetes. Do Odontocetes have more pronounced telescoping than Mysticetes?

Family Platanistidae

What family of Odontocetes contains the Ganges river dolphin and Indus river dolphin?

Platanista gangetica

What’s scientific name of the Ganges River Dolphin?

Platanista minor

What’s the scientific name of the Indus River Dolphin?

Pontoporia blainvillei

What’s the scientific name of the La Plata river dolphin?

It inhabits saltwater as well as freshwater

What’s a unique thing about the lifestyle of the La Plata dolphin?

Inia geoffrensis

What’s the scientific name of amazon river dolphin?

Lipotes vexillifer

What’s the species name of the Chinese River Dolphin?

Family Monodontidae

What Odontoceti family contains narwhals and belugas?

Monodon monocerus

What’s the scientific name of the narwhal?

Left tooth extended into tusk in males

What’s a distinctive feature of Monodon monocerus (narwhals)?

Delphinapterus leucas

What’s the species name of the beluga?

Melon

What’s the term for the distinctive structure seen on the head of Delphinapterus leucas (belugas)?

Family Kogiidae

What Odontocete family contains the dwarf sperm whale?

Family Physteridae

An odontocete family which contains sperm whales.

Physeter macrocephalus

What’s the scientific name of the sperm whale?

Only teeth on bottom jaw.

What’s unique about Physeter macrocephalus (sperm whale) teeth?

Family Ziphiidae

The beaked whale family.

Deep ocean basins

Where can you find beaked whales?

Ziphius cavirostris

What’s the scientific name of Cuvier’s beaked whale?

Berardius bairdii

What’s the scientific name of Baird’s beaked whale?

Mesoplodon densirostrus

What’s the scientific name of Blainville’s beaked whale?

Tusk-like lower jaw

What’s a distinct feature of Mesoplodon densirostrus (Blainville’s beaked whale)?

Hyperoodon ampullatus

What’s the scientific name of the Northern bottlenose whale?

Family Delphinidae

The Odontocete family which contains marine dolphins and orcas.

Orcinus orca

What’s the scientific name for the killer whale?

Globicephala macrorhynchus

What’s the scientific name of the short-finned pilot whale?

Tursiops truncatus

Identify the scientific name of the bottlenose dolphin.

Delphinus delphis

What’s the scientific name of the common dolphin?

Lagenorhynchus obliquedens

What’s the scientific name of the pacific white-sided dolphin?

Delphinidae

What Family does this skull belong to?

Lissodelphus borealis

What’s the scientific name of the northern right whale dolphin?

Grampus griseus

Identify the scientific name of Risso’s dolphin?

Pseudorca crassidens

What’s the scientific name of the false killer whale?

Steno bredadensis

Identify the scientific name of the rough-toothed dolphin.

Stenella attenuata

What’s the scientific name for the pantropical spotted dolphin?

Stinella longirostris

What’s the scientific name for the spinner dolphin?

Family Phocoenidae

What family of Odontocetes contains porpoises?

Phocoena phocoena

Identify the scientific name of the harbor porpoise.

Phocoenidae

What Family does this skull belong to?

Phocoenoides dalli

What’s the scientific name of the Dall’s porpoise?

Phocoena sinus

What’s the scientific name of the vaquita?

Sub-Order Mysteciti

What sub-order of Cetacea contains baleen whales?

Baleen plates

What sort of dentition do Mysticetes have?

Symmetrical

How would you describe the symmetry of Mysticete skulls?

Unfused

Are Mysticete mandibles fused or unfused?

Two

How many blowholes do Mysticetes have?

Convex

How are mysticete skulls shaped?

Modified Epithelium (skin cells)

What are the evolutionary origins of baleen?

Two blowholes

How many blowholes do mysticetes have?

Family Balaenidae

Which family of Mysticetes contains right and bowhead whales?

No dorsal fin

What’s a distinguishing feature of Family Balaenidae?

Balaena mysticetus

What’s the scientific name of the bowhead whale?

Eubalaena australis

Identify the scientific name of the southern right whale.

Eubalaena glacialis

What’s the scientific name of the north atlantic right whale?

Eubalaena japonica

What’s the scientific name of the north pacific right whale?

Family Neobalaenidae

Which mysticete family contains the pygmy right whales?

Caperea marginata

What’s the scientific name of the pygmy right whale?

Family Eschrichtiidae

What Mysticete family contains gray whales?

Eschrichtius robustus

Identify the scientific name of the gray whale.

Family Balaenopteridae

Which Mysticete family contains rorqual whales (blue whales, humpbacks, fin whales)?

**Balaenoptera musculus**

What’s the scientific name of the blue whale?

Balaenoptera physalus

What’s the scientific name of the fin whale?

Balaenoptera acutorostrata

Identify the scientific name of the minke whale.

Balaenoptera borealis

What’s the scientific name of the sei whale?

Megaptera novaeangliae

What’s the scientific name of this mammal?

Order Carnivora

What taxonomic order contains bears, seals, and otters?

Sub-Order Pinnipedia

Which taxonomic Sub-Order contains seals, sea lions, and walruses?

Otariidae

Which Pinniped family has a supraorbital process?

Phocidae

Which Pinniped family has inflated auditory bullae?

Otariidae

Which Pinniped family has transverse grooves on the incisors?

Phocidae

Which Pinniped family has V-shaped nasal-frontal bone sutures?

Otariidae

Which Pinniped family has W-shaped nasal-frontal bone sutures?

Otariidae

Which Pinniped family has an overlapping fusion of the zygomatic arch?

Phocidae

Which Pinniped family has a straight fusion of the zygomatic arch?

Family Otariidae

What pinniped family contains sea lions, fur seals, and eared seals?

Callorhinus ursinus

Identify the scientific name of the northern seal lion.

Zallophus californianus

What is the scientific name for the California sea lion?

Zallophus californianus

What animal does this skull belong to?

Eumetopias jubatus

Identify the scientific name of the stellar sea lion.

Eumetopias jubatus

What animal does this skull belong to?

Arctocephalus

What genus do southern fur seals belong to?

Family Phocidae

What family of Pinnipeds contains true seals?

Phoca vitulina

Identify the scientific name of the harbor seal.

Phoca vitulina

What animal does this skull belong to?

Mirounga angustirostris

What’s the scientific name of the northern elephant seal?

Mirounga angustirostris

What animal does this skull belong to?

Histriophoca fasciata

Identify the scientific name of the ribbon seal.

Cystophora cristata

What’s the scientific name of the hooded seal?

Pusa hispida

What’s the scientific name of the ringed seal?

Pagophilus groenlandicus

What’s the scientific name of the harp seal?

Erignathus barbatus

What’s the scientific name of the bearded seal?