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List Of Australian Marine Mammals
This is the list of marine mammals found in Australian waters. It is a sub-list of the list of mammals of Australia. Conservation status listed follows the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (v. 2013.2; data current at 3 March 2014): Cetacea Balaenidae * Southern right whale, ''Eubalaena australis'' Balaenopteridae * Minke whale, ''Balaenoptera acutorostrata'' * Southern minke whale, ''Balaenoptera bonaerensis'' * Sei whale, ''Balaenoptera borealis'' * Pygmy Bryde's whale, ''Balaenoptera edeni'' * Omura's whale, ''Balaenoptera omurai'' * Blue whale, ''Balaenoptera musculus'' (ssp. ''brevicauda'' – pygmy blue whale: , ssp. ''intermedia'': ) * Fin whale, ''Balaenoptera physalus'' * Humpback whale, ''Megaptera novaeangliae'' (Oceania subpopulation: ) Delphinidae * Short-beaked common dolphin, ''Delphinus delphis'' * Pygmy killer whale, ''Feresa attenuata'' * Short-finned pilot whale, ''Globicephala macrorhynchus'' * Long-finned pilot whale, ''Globicephala ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marine Mammals
Marine mammals are aquatic mammals that rely on the ocean and other marine ecosystems for their existence. They include animals such as seals, whales, manatees, sea otters and polar bears. They are an informal group, unified only by their reliance on marine environments for feeding and survival. Marine mammal adaptation to an aquatic lifestyle varies considerably between species. Both cetaceans and sirenians are fully aquatic and therefore are obligate water dwellers. Seals and sea-lions are semiaquatic; they spend the majority of their time in the water but need to return to land for important activities such as mating, breeding and molting. In contrast, both otters and the polar bear are much less adapted to aquatic living. The diets of marine mammals vary considerably as well; some eat zooplankton, others eat fish, squid, shellfish, or sea-grass, and a few eat other mammals. While the number of marine mammals is small compared to those found on land, their roles in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Short-beaked Common Dolphin
The common dolphin (''Delphinus delphis'') is the most abundant cetacean in the world, with a global population of about six million. Despite this fact and its vernacular name, the common dolphin is not thought of as the archetypal dolphin, with that distinction belonging to the bottlenose dolphin due to its popular appearances in aquaria and the media. However, the common dolphin is often depicted in Ancient Greek and Roman art and culture, most notably in a mural painted by the Greek Minoan civilization. It is presently the only member of the genus ''Delphinus''. The common dolphin belongs to the subfamily Delphininae, making this dolphin closely related to the three different species of bottlenose dolphins, humpback dolphins, striped dolphins, spinner dolphins, clymene dolphin, spotted dolphins, fraser's dolphin and the tucuxi and guiana dolphin. The common dolphin was originally categorized into two different species (now thought to be ecotypes), the short-beaked common dolp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
False Killer Whale
The false killer whale (''Pseudorca crassidens'') is a species of oceanic dolphin that is the only extant representative of the genus '' Pseudorca''. It is found in oceans worldwide but mainly in tropical regions. It was first described in 1846 as a species of porpoise based on a skull, which was revised when the first carcasses were observed in 1861. The name "false killer whale" comes from having a skull similar to the orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale. The false killer whale reaches a maximum length of , though size can vary around the world. It is highly sociable, known to form pods of up to 50 members, and can also form pods with other dolphin species, such as the common bottlenose dolphin (''Tursiops truncatus''). It can form close bonds with other species, as well as have sexual interactions with them. But the false killer has also been known to eat other dolphins, though it typically eats squid and fish. It is a deep-diver; maximum known depth is ; maximum speed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melon-headed Whale
The melon-headed whale (''Peponocephala electra''), also known less commonly as the electra dolphin, little killer whale, or many-toothed blackfish, is a toothed whale of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae). The common name is derived from the head shape. Melon-headed whales are widely distributed throughout deep tropical and subtropical waters worldwide, but they are rarely encountered at sea. They are found near shore mostly around oceanic islands, such as Hawaii, French Polynesia, and the Philippines. Taxonomy The melon-headed whale is the only member of the genus ''Peponocephala''. First recorded from a specimen collected in Hawaiʻi in 1841, the species was originally described as a member of the dolphin family and named ''Lagenorhynchus electra'' by John Edward Gray in 1846. The melon-headed whale was later determined to be sufficiently distinct from other ''Lagenorhynchus'' species to be accorded its own genus. A member of the subfamily Globicephalinae, melon-heade ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orca
The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white patterned body. A cosmopolitan species, orcas can be found in all of the world's oceans in a variety of marine environments, from Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas. Orcas have a diverse diet, although individual populations often specialize in particular types of prey. Some feed exclusively on fish, while others hunt marine mammals such as seals and other species of dolphin. They have been known to attack baleen whale calves, and even adult whales. Orcas are apex predators, as they have no natural predators. They are highly social; some populations are composed of very stable matrilineal family groups (pods) which are the most stable of any animal species. Their sophisticated hunting techniques and vocal behaviours, which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Australian Snubfin Dolphin
The Australian snubfin dolphin (''Orcaella heinsohni'') is a dolphin found off the northern coasts of Australia. It closely resembles the Irrawaddy dolphin (of the same genus, ''Orcaella'') and was not described as a separate species until 2005. The closest relative to the genus ''Orcaella'' is the killer whale, ''Orcinus orca''. The Australian snubfin has three colors on its skin, while the Irrawaddy dolphin only has two. The skull and the fins also show minor differences between the two species. Taxonomy The taxonomic specific name, ''heinsohni'', was chosen in honor of George Heinsohn, an Australian biologist who worked at James Cook University, "for his pioneering work on northeast Australian odontocetes, including the collection and initial analysis of ''Orcaella heinsohni'' specimens which form the basis for much of our knowledge of the new species". New species of large mammals are quite rarely described nowadays, and those that are usually are from remote areas � ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Irrawaddy Dolphin
The Irrawaddy dolphin (''Orcaella brevirostris'') is a euryhaline species of oceanic dolphin found in scattered subpopulations near sea coasts and in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia. It closely resembles the Australian snubfin dolphin (of the same genus, ''Orcaella''), which was not described as a separate species until 2005. It has a slate blue to a slate gray color. Although found in much of the riverine and marine zones of South and Southeast Asia, the only concentrated lagoon populations are found in Chilika Lake in Odisha, India and Songkhla Lake in southern Thailand. Taxonomy One of the earliest recorded descriptions of the Irrawaddy dolphin was by Sir Richard Owen in 1866 based on a specimen found in 1852, in the harbour of Visakhapatnam on the east coast of India. It is one of two species in its genus. It has sometimes been listed variously in a family containing just itself and in the Monodontidae and Delphinapteridae. Widespre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Southern Right Whale Dolphin
The southern right whale dolphin (''Lissodelphis peronii'') is a small and slender species of cetacean, found in cool waters of the Southern Hemisphere. It is one of two species of right whale dolphin (genus ''Lissodelphis''). This genus is characterized by the lack of a dorsal fin. The other species, the northern right whale dolphin (''Lissodelphis borealis''), is found in deep oceans of the Northern Hemisphere and has a different pigmentation pattern than the southern right whale dolphin. Taxonomy The species was first published by Bernard Germain de Lacépède in 1804. The southern right whale dolphins together with the northern right whale dolphins are the only members of the genus ''Lissodelphis'', which name is derived from the Greek, with ''lisso'' meaning smooth, and ''delphis'' meaning dolphin. Recent classifications have placed ''Lissodelphis'' within the Delphinidae, the oceanic dolphin family of cetaceans. The specific epithet ''peronii'' commemorates François Pér ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dusky Dolphin
The dusky dolphin (''Lagenorhynchus obscurus'') is a dolphin found in coastal waters in the Southern Hemisphere. Its specific epithet is Latin for "dark" or "dim". It is very closely genetically related to the Pacific white-sided dolphin, but current scientific consensus holds they are distinct species. The dolphin's range is patchy, with major populations around South America, southwestern Africa, New Zealand, and various oceanic islands, with some sightings around southern Australia and Tasmania. The dusky dolphin prefers cool currents and inshore waters, but can also be found offshore. It feeds on a variety of fish and squid species and has flexible hunting tactics. The dusky dolphin is known for its remarkable acrobatics, having a number of aerial behaviours. The status of the dolphin is unknown, but it has been commonly caught in gill nets. Taxonomy It is commonly thought that the dusky dolphin was first described by John Edward Gray in 1828 from stuffed skin an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hourglass Dolphin
The hourglass dolphin (''Lagenorhynchus cruciger'') is a small dolphin in the family Delphinidae that inhabits offshore Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters. It is commonly seen from ships crossing the Drake Passage, but has a circumpolar distribution. The species was identified as a new species by Jean René Constant Quoy and Joseph Paul Gaimard in 1824 from a drawing made in the South Pacific in 1820. It is the only cetacean to have been widely accepted as a species solely on witness accounts. Description The hourglass dolphin is colored black on top and white on the belly, with white patches on the sides and sometimes variations of dark grey. For this reason, it was colloquially known by whalers as a "sea cow" (although it does not belong to the taxonomic order Sirenia) or "sea skunk". Each flank has a white patch at the front, above the beak, eye and flipper, and a second patch at the rear. These two patches are connected by a thin white strip, creating, loosely speak ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fraser's Dolphin
Fraser's dolphin or the Sarawak dolphin (''Lagenodelphis hosei'') is a cetacean in the family Delphinidae found in deep waters in the Pacific Ocean and to a lesser extent in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Taxonomy ''Lagenodelphis hosei'' is species of the delphinid family, distinguished from other dolphins as a monotypic genus, ''Lagenodelphis''. In 1895, Charles E. Hose found a skull on a beach in Sarawak, Borneo. He donated it to the British Museum. The skull remained unstudied until 1956 when Francis Fraser examined it and concluded that it was similar to species in both the genera ''Lagenorhynchus'' and ''Delphinus'' but not the same as either. A new genus was created by simply merging these two names together. The specific name is given in Hose's honour. It wasn't until 1971 that the whole body of a Fraser's dolphin, as it was by then becoming known, was discovered. At that time washed-up specimens were found on Cocos Island in the eastern Pacific, in South Australia a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Risso's Dolphin
Risso's dolphin (''Grampus griseus'') is a dolphin, the only species of the genus ''Grampus''. Some of the closest related species to these dolphins include: pilot whales (''Globicephala'' spp.), pygmy killer whales (''Feresa attenuata''), melon-headed whales (''Peponocephala electra''), and false killer whales (''Pseudorca crassidens''). Taxonomy Risso's dolphin is named after Antoine Risso, whose study of the animal formed the basis of the recognised description by Georges Cuvier in 1812. The holotype referred to specimen at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, an exhibit using preserved skin and skull obtained at Brest, France. The type and sole species of the genus ''Grampus'' refers to ''Delphinus griseus'' Cuvier 1812. A proposition to name this genus ''Grampidelphis'' in 1933, when the taxonomic status of 'blackfish' was uncertain, and conserving the extensive use of "''Grampus''" for the 'killer' ''Orcinus orca''", also suggested renaming this species (''Grampidel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
_(6206904718).jpg "Click for more on -> Melon-headed Whale")
