Marine Vert Exam 2 Vocab

crepuscular

animals (sea snakes) that are most active at down or dusk

Kinetic Skull

Skull with movable joints between bones, allowing a wide gape and flexible feeding

flotsam

floating sea weed

erectile tissue

vascular tissue that allows the animal to open, close, or stiffen a structure for functional use. Sea snakes (only the hydrophiinae) use this to close their nostrils while swimming

athropy

A decrease in size or functional ability of a tissue, organ, or structure due to reduced use. Birds do this after the breeding season on their gonads.

telescoped skull

bones of the skull, particularly the maxilla, premaxilla, and nasal bones, have shifted posteriorly and overlap with one another

gregarious

tending to live, move, or associate in groups rather than alone (friendly)

matrilineal

a social system in which lineage, inheritance, or group membership is traced through the mother’s line

Attenuates

to reduce the force, effect, or value of

spermaceti organ

used for bouncy and echolocation

Rate Marabula

enlarged system of veins to hold more blood

myogoblin

An oxygen‑binding protein found in muscle tissue that stores and releases more O₂ than hemoglobin during activity.

Apneustic Breathing

A breathing pattern marked by a long, gasping inhalation (multiple short breaths)

Spyhops

poking head out of the water to see the surface

Calving Interval

the time period between the birth of one calf and the next

Callosity

A thickened/hardened part of the skin