(4) Feeding Strategies and Diet

1. how is feeding behavior and ecology determined?

1. evolutionary

2. ecological 

3. behavioral

1. examples of specialized morphologies that help marine mammals catch specific prey: 

1. baleen → allows huge plankton groups to be fed on

2. sperm oil in sperm whales → allows them to detect prey by echolocation in deep, dark waters

1. how many teeth do cetaceans have in comparison to humans? 

1. humans have around 30

2. cetaceans that have teeth can be anywhere from 80-120 

3. cetaceans that do not have teeth have very few

1. complexity of marine mammal teeth: 

1. generally complexity is reduced, some have incisors or tusks

2. we have different types of teeth, but marine mammals have more uniform

1. why don’t marine mammals have complex teeth? 

1. few marine mammals chew their food, so there’s really no need for complex teeth

1. being an efficient forager means ability to….(4)

1. recognize food requirements and where to feed

2. choose the best food

3. locate, capture, and ingest food

4. digest food

1. what factors contribute to the best food? 

1. energy content

2. digestibility

3. cost of capture

4. probability of capture

5. abundance of prey

6. body condition of predator

7. specific nutrients?