Content
- what are cetaceans
- Characteristics of cetaceans
- where do cetaceans live
- Types of cetaceans
- 1. Mystices
- 2. Odontocetes
the cetaceans are the Marine animals most famous because of their presence in ancient stories and legends. They are animals that have always aroused great interest from human beings. These animals are, in general, great unknowns that, little by little, disappear without us apparently doing anything.
In this article by PeritoAnimal, we are going to talk about cetaceans - what they are, their characteristics, where they live and other curiosities. Do you want to know more about these denizens of the deep sea? Keep reading!
what are cetaceans
The order of cetaceans is composed of two suborders, the mystiques, formed by the bearded whales, and the odontocetes, composed of toothed cetaceans, such as sperm whales, dolphins and orcas.
The evolution of cetaceans has led to a similarity between these two living suborders, being the result of evolutionary convergence. Structural features common between the two groups, such as body shape, the position of the nostril or spiracle above the head, the absence of vocal cords and the similar shape of the lungs suggest that these species evolved from different ancestors to animals very similar to each other. .
Therefore, cetacean mammals are lung animals that inhabit our seas and oceans, although certain species live in rivers.
Characteristics of cetaceans
Cetaceans are characterized by their anatomy, morphology, physiology and habitat. The main characteristics of cetaceans are:
- They display a body mass range exceptionally wide which influences their oxygen storage and utilization capacities. This prevents hypoxia or lack of oxygen in your tissues.
- During the dive, your heart diverts blood to your brain, lungs and muscles to allow swimming and continuous body function.
- The trachea is shorter than in terrestrial mammals and does not communicate with the esophagus. It is connected to the spiracle, where they absorb and expel air.
- have big fat reservoirs to prevent hypothermia when diving to great depths.
- the format hydrodynamic of your body allows for greater swimming speed and prevents damage from large pressure changes.
- do not have vocal chords. Instead, they have an organ called a melon that they use to communicate or hunt for. echolocation.
- Have very thick skin whose outermost layer, the epidermis, is continually renewed at great speed.
- At birth, puppies have fur, but this disappears after a few months of life.
- The number of fins depends on the species, although they all have pectoral and caudal fins.
- Some species have teeth, all the same size and shape. Others have beards that they use to filter water.
where do cetaceans live
The habitat of cetaceans is the aquatic environment. Without him, their skin would dry and they would die. Some cetaceans live in circumpolar waters, for example the beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) or the narwhal whale (Monodon monoceros), so they are adapted to low temperatures. Others have a more tropical distribution, such as the long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) and the short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus).
Some of these animals live in fresh water and are highly threatened cetacean species, mainly due to river pollution, dam construction and discriminated hunting. The list of cetaceans that live in rivers is:
- Bolivian dolphin (Inia boliviensis)
- Araguaia dolphin (Inia araguaiaensis)
- Pink dolphin (Inia geoffrensis)
- Porpoise (Pontoporia blainvillei)
- Baiji (vexillifer lipos)
- Indo-dolphin (minor platanist)
- Ganges dolphin (gangetic platanist)
The vast majority of cetaceans make annual migrations from their feeding places to their breeding places. This is the time when these animals are most unprotected.
In the image we can see a pink boto:
Types of cetaceans
Cetaceans are classified into two big groups: you mystiques and the toothpicks.
1. Mystices
the mystics, commonly called whales, are less numerous and are mainly characterized by having beard plates instead of teeth. They are animals of enormous size that usually live in cold water. Some of its species have not been seen during cetacean sightings for decades. The most common species of mysticites are:
- Pacific Right Whale (Eubalaena japonica)
- Greenland Whale (Balaena mysticetus)
- Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus)
- Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
- humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
- Gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus)
- Pygmy Right Whale (Caperea marginata)
In the image we can see a Fin Whale:
2. Odontocetes
Odontocetes are cetaceans with real teeth, in greater or lesser number. They are very numerous and include a good variety of species. They are all carnivorous animals. The best known species of odontocetes are:
- Longfin Pilot Whale (Globicephala melas)
- Southern Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus australis)
- Orca (orcinus orca)
- Striped dolphin (stenella coeruleoalba)
- Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
- Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus)
- Twilight Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus)
- Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)
- Vaquita (Phocoena sinus)
- Porpoise-of-glasses (Dioptric Phocoena)
- Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus)
- Pygmy Sperm (kogia breviceps)
- Dwarf Sperm (Kogia sima)
- Blainville's Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon densirostris)
- Gervais Beaked Whale (mesoplodon europaeus)
- Gray's Beaked Whale (mesoplodon grayi)
In the image we can see a common pilot whale:
If you want to read more articles similar to Cetaceans - Meaning, Types and Characteristics, we recommend that you enter our Curiosities section of the animal world.