MARINE MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

 

Tom Dempsey, 2006

Purpose

Our Marine Ecology class at University of Washington, Tacoma developed web pages to display our knowledge of a specific group. This web page provides general information about marine mammals, particularly those found in the Pacific Northwest.

MARINE MAMMALS

There are hundreds of marine mammal species (Nowak 2003) This web page describes general characteristics of pinnipeds (Seals and sea lions), cetaceans (whales and dolphins), and other carnivores (sea otters). Although each group maintains the general characteristics of mammals, each is physiologically unique.

CLASSIFICATION OF MARINE MAMMALS

Category
Classification
Kingdom
Animal
Phylum
Chordates
Class
Mammals
Order
Sirenians
Carnivores
Cetaceans
Family representatives
Manatees and Dugongs
Seals, Sea Lions, Sea Otters, Polar bears
Whales and Dolphins
Number of species in each family
6
37
80

(Nowak 2003)

Page by: Lindsay France: Environmental Science; Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences; University of Washington, Tacoma

Advisor: Dr. Bonnie J. Becker (For more information contact Dr. Becker at BJBecker at u dot washington dot edu)

Source: Nowak, R. M. 2003. Walker's Marine Mammals of the World. 6th ed. John Hopkins University Press. London.