ea otters are an essential keystone species in a marine ecosystem. They help to keep down herbivore populations to keep kelp happy and they keep sea urchin populations down. Sea otters are mammals that live in oceans often around california kelp forests. They live in chilly waters but have no blubber (Picky Eaters, p.1). Instead they have a thick coating of fur. This fur is thought to be the thickest fur of any mammal. The kelp forests that they live in range in temperatures of 42- 72 degrees Fahrenheit and 5-20 degrees Celsius. These waters are nutrient rich allowing kelp to grow. One other thing that helps them to maintain a steady internal balance is their food consumption. Sea otters eat 20 to 30 percent of their body weight every day
of food per day for some large male otters. Their diet being mainly sea urchins, the sea otters keep the urchin population under control which allows for other life within the kelp ecosystem to survive and create a balanced ecosystem. Without the sea otters in a kelp ecosystem, the sea urchins can take over and disrupt the ecosystem by killing out some algae species and some fish which live in the
Dylon. G Mrs.Hornseth Period:4 Bottlenose Dolphins The history and traits and what a dolphin looks like is what this rough draft is going to be mainly about. Dolphins have a big reputation for having lots of curiosity. Some people thought that dolphins were smarter than humans considering that they have more lumps and a bigger brain.
While otters are considered secure globally, the southwestern stock in Alaska is threatened. According to Alaska's Department of Fish and Game, http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=seaotter.main "in southwest Alaska, sea otters have experienced a sharp population decline in the last 20 years," while the Southeast and Southcentral stocks have stabilized or increased. In an email exchange with Webber, he told me that the otters washing up were assumed to be non-threatened Southcentral northern sea otters because of the location of where they came ashore. Otters have a unique history in Alaska. They bounced back from the fur trade, that began in the 1700s, that almost wiped them out.
AP Environmental Science: Chapter 5 1. Explain how southern sea otters act as a keystone species in kelp beds. The otters help to keep sea urchins and other kelp-eating species from depleting highly productive and rapidly growing kelp forests, which provide habitats for a number of species in offshore coastal waters. Without southern sea otters, sea urchins would probably destroy the kelp forests and much of the rich biodiversity associated with them.
Sea otters live in shallow coastal waters near the northern pacific. These marine animals live close to states like Washington, Oregon, and northern California. They spend most of their time in the water, but scavenge land for food sources like plants or small animals. Otters can also hide in kelp forest to hide from predators. They live in shallow water in the northern pacific for ultimate food sources and access to land.
Here in citrus county, we have hundreds of West Indian manatees that come into our waters each winter to stay warm in our spring water. The economy of this county, especially in crystal river, relies on tourism of manatees. People come from all over to see these mammals. The problem is that it is harmful and stressful to the manatees if the tourists don’t follow the guidelines of manatee manners. There are a few ways to fix this.
The trichechus most commonly known as the manatee is a large aquatic mammal with ancestors dating back to 45 million years. The modern manatee has been found in fossil evidence to have existed for at least 1 million years. Living in shallow bodies of fresh and saltwater the manatee is mostly a gentle solitary animal, with highly developed social skills. While different variations of the manatee live across the world, all manatees are slow moving herbivores with very few natural predators. While the manatees are rather slow animals they are agile and can easily maneuver underwater.
The species I will be focusing on is called, "The Chilean Dolphin, which is also known as, "The Black Dolphin. " "This type of dolphin are small cetaceans with a stocky body shape and blunt beakless heads". "They measure about 1.7 m long on average and reach 60 kg in weight". Jefferson, T.A., S. Leatherwood, and M.A. Webber, Chilean Dolphins, MarineBio Conservation Society, http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=348.
Loggerhead sea turtles face many dangers including artificial lights, which contribute to their endangerment. The most prevalent way loggerhead sea turtles are being threatened is by human interaction. Humans turn on lights by the beach at night sometimes in turtle nesting season, and this can influence female turtles to avoid the beach, where they need to lay their eggs. (“Please turn your lights off, the turtles are nesting: ensuring that federal, state, and local laws help guide endangered marine turtle hatchlings in Florida to the right source of light”). However, there are some actions humans can take to help prevent endangerment of sea turtle hatchlings.
Estes, J. A., 1990. Growth and Equilibrium in Sea Otter Populations. Journal of Animal Ecology, 59(2), pp. 385-401. Kenyon, K. W., 1969. The Sea Otter in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
The professor counters this point by saying that the whales were disappeared because of the human hunters. That made the Ocras change their diets to hunt seals, sea lions, and sea otters, so that supports the predation theory also. Third, the reading states that the pollution hypothesis could also explain the uneven pattern of otter decline. The professor refutes this point by saying that ocras ' populations declined in the places, where the Ocras are easily accessible to the sea otters, while sea otters ' population did not decline in the shallow water or rocky areas, where it 's hard for the Ocra to get
The Manatees Of Southern Florida: Just How Amazing Are These Guys? Most animals are awesome, but anyone who has had the pleasure of meeting a manatee knows they are in a class all by themselves. These southern Floridians are peaceful, curious, graceful and sometimes downright funny. Here 's a brief Q and A that shows just how awesome they are and a little bit about the challenges they 're facing. Just What Is A Manatee?
I researched Marine Mammal Center. They rehabilitate estranged animals to get their health up and release them back into the water. Since 1975, they have rescued and treated over 18,000 mammals. (according to Marine Mammal Center, 2015) Seventeen sea lions were poisoned on April 27, 2015.
Bottlenose Dolphins Dolphins are extraordinarily shrewd marine warm blooded creatures and are a bit of the gathering of toothed whales that fuses orcas and pilot whales. They are found far and wide, generally in shallow seas of the territory resigns, and are carnivores, by and large eating fish and squid. The bottlenose dolphin is a champion among the most clearly comprehended sorts of marine very much developed animals. They have an intense body and a short, thick bill. Their tint ranges from light dull to dim with lighter tinge on the waist.
My specie is the Great White or scientifically known as Carcharodon Carcharias. I chose this specie to create awareness for the fisherman that are hunting sharks. The natural habitat of the great white shark is the ocean usually where the water is 24 and 12 degrees (Northeastern of United states, California, northeastern of United states, Coast of Australia, Brazil, Azores, Madagascar, The Caribbean, Eastern África, Northwestern África, the Seychelles, Mauritius, Northern Australia, Sri Lanka, Hawaii, New Caledonia and Philippines). This specie is endangered because humans are hunting the sharks because of teeth and fins, hunting competitions and because sometimes people try to fish and by accident the white shark comes together..