Whale Notes

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Whale Notes

• Cetaceans Whales in Latin

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• Largest group of marine mammals
• Two major groups
• Odontoceti toothed whales 74 different
  species
• Mysteceti Baleen whales 10 species

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Adaptations for Breathing and Diving

• Cetaceans exhale up to 80-95 of the air in their
  lungs (human 15-25)
• Huge diaphragm muscles and more floating ribs
• A rorqual can exahale and inhale 1500 gallons of
  air (human about 4 seconds for a pint)

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Adaptations for Diving

• Mammalian Diving Reflex (1st 2 occur in humans)
• Triggered by cold water hitting the face
• Bradycardia (slowing of the heartbeat by 15 to
  50)
• Peripheral vasoconstriction
• Blood supply is reduced to less essential areas
• Blood shift that occurs during very deep dives
• Organ and circulatory walls allow plasma/water to
  pass freely throughout chest and abdominal cavity
• This keeps pressure constant and organs are not
  crushed
• The lungs will fill with blood plasma which gets
  reabsorbed as animal leaves pressurized
  environment

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Extended Diving Adaptations

• Substantial amounts of myoglobin and large
  volumes of blood
• Great deal of oxygen and glucose can be stored
• Myoglobin is like hemoglobin except that it binds
  with oxygen far more readily

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Echo-Location and Vocalization

• Many cetaceans can echo-locate to determine
• Object size
• Distance
• Density
• Position
• Can distinguish between a kernel of corn and a
  ball bearing at 50 ft

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Melon is used like a lens to direct sounds
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Ocean Acoustics

• Sound travels 5xs faster in water than air
• Warmer water faster
• More pressure faster

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• What are similar and different about these two
  sets of sound waves?

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The SOFAR Channel

• Sound in the sea can be trapped by temperature
  and pressure differences of the ocean at
  different depths
• Sound is influenced by temp in the upper layers
• By pressure at depth
• Sound waves bend towards area of slowest sound
  speed
• Low frequency sounds can travel across entire
  ocean basins

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http//www.dosits.org/science/sndmoves/4.htm
http//www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/sou
nd01/background/seasounds/seasounds.htmlfin