Quizzes & Surveys

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Seabird die offs, like the one reported in the Bering sea in 2019, are not unheard of.

abnormally warm sea surface temperatures

plastic pollution

harmful algae blooms

introduced foxes

Which of the following is the least threatening to sea bird populations

longline (a type of commercial fishing)

rats, cats, and foxes

plastic pollution

human egg hunters

Penguins are

birds, with beaks, claws, and very small wings and small feathers

not birds, they have no wings and no feathers

Common murres will swim to a depth of up to 250 feet in pursuit of schools of small fish.

surface feeder

pursuit divers

Kleptoparasites

plungers

Common murres will often nest along steep cliffs.

so that their chicks can have a good place to take off in their first flight

to avoid nest predators

because all of the "good nesting habitat" is taken by other birds

to take advantage of natural caves and burrows in the cliffs

Seabirds have hearts with ________ chambers

Which of the following feathers are primarily used for flying

downy

powder

round

contour

Don Croll says of the Aleutian Islands where foxes are introduced species. "The terrestrial ecosystem was being subsidized by marine-derived nutrients, and the foxes basically cut off the subsidies by interrupting the flow of nutrients coming from offshore,

introduced foxes means no seabirds, and no seabirds means fewer nutrients for plants

introduced foxes have less nutrients in their feces than seabirds

islands with introduced foxes have more diverse plant communities

foxes helped the island's plant communities grow with less nutrients

Seabirds are able to drink salt water thanks to

their high metabolism

salt removal glands just under the eyes

a tolerance they build up starting right after birth

their high blood to body volume

Gannets feed by diving from a great height into the water in order to catch their prey.

surface feeding

pursuit diving

Kleptoparasitism

plunging

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Manatee's

tails are rounded and paddle-shaped, whereas dugongs tails are fluked (triangle shaped)

are slow moving carnivores

inhabit the North Pacific

tails are fluke (triangle shaped,) whereas dugongs tails are rounded and paddle-shaped

Which of the following traits can be found amongst all true seals (phocids)

No external ears

They can walk on their hind flippers

Large sexual dimorphism, large differences between males and females

Swim with propulsion from their front flippers

Select all of the appropriate characteristics of Otariids

Commonly referred to as sea lions and fur seals

Can walk on their hind flippers

Have external ears

Many species have large sexual dimorphism, large differences between males and females

Swim with propulsion from the movement of their hind flippers

Sea otters are remarkable animals for several reasons, including the fact that they

eat other species of marine mammals

are keystone species, whose position in food chains is crucial in maintaining the ecological health of a kelp forest

are the deepest diving species of marine mammal

are the largest species of marine mammal

Elephant seals come to the beaches of California to (select all correct answers)

Rest when they have been swimming too much

Mating and Giving birth

Molting (shedding their fur)

Avoiding predators like great white sharks

Physically walrus

are very similar to sea lions

are very similar to true seals

show a mix of traits between Phocids and Otariids

Are smaller than most other Pinnipeds

Polar bears are "of the sea" for which of the following reasons

The have wide paddle like feet and elongated necks making them good swimmers

They sometimes feed on the whale carcasses left over by Iniupiaq hunter

They are the largest of extant bear species

They den on land, but spend most of their time on the sea ice hunting

This is

a sea lion

a walrus

a manatee

a member of the family Phocidea

This is

a manatee

a seal

a Walrus

from the family Otariidae

10.

Walrus primarily eat

Kelp

Clams

Algae

Fish

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Which of the following is not true about Odontoceti whales

They have a double nostril blow hole

They are highly social animals living in maternally lead "pods"

They have concave skulls

They have teeth

An elaborate, coordinated feeding strategy used uniquely by humpback whales in the North Pacific

Gulping

Skimming

Lunging

Bubble netting

Baleen whales are sometimes referred to as "ecosystem engineers" for their ability to build food webs.

By feeding at depth and releasing fecal plumes near the surface -- which supports plankton growth

By consuming large quantities of oxygen gas and carrying it to depth

By skimming the surface and removing plastic debris

By hosting a wide variety of parasitic organisms on their large bodies

Mysticeti whales share all of the physical and behavioral features except

Convex skulls with baleen plates hanging down

Filter feeding

The ability to echolocate prey

Long seasonal migrations

The length and stiffness of Mysticeti whales baleen varies greatly.

Bowhead whales use their short baleen to suck up mouthfuls of sediment and filter out the crustaceans living in the mud.

Gray whales whales use their short baleen to suck up mouthfuls of sediment and filter out the crustaceans living in the mud.

Bowhead whales use their long baleen plants to blow bubbles, creating a bubble net .

Blue whales use echolocation to locate large schools of krill and then "gulp them up."

Right whales are some of the most endangered whales on the planet.

Hunting by Yankee whalers

Blunt force drama from ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear

Infectious disease from untreated sewage

Unusually aggressive shark populations

Which of the following provides evidence of whales terrestrial evolution

Vestigial hind limb bones

Walking ankle (astragalus) bones

A spinal cord that moves up and down like land mammals rather than side to side like fish

All of these are correct

Scientists have learned some pretty amazing things about the hearts of Blue whales, such as

Blue whales suffer heart attacks at alarming rates

Blue whales can modulate their heart rate as they dive from as high as 34 beats per minute to as few as 2 beats per minute

Blue whales hearts are unusually small for their size

Blue whale hearts beat unusually fast

In the North Pacific Humpack whales "sing."

Different populations of whales (from different areas) were mixing

Each whale's song is completely unique

Female humpback whales prefer higher pitched songs

Whale songs are random and confused with little in the way of structure

10.

One way to attached a tracking tag to a large humpback whale is to

Surgically implant the tag

Anesthetize the whale and then glue it to their skin

Use a fast boat, a long carbon fiber pole, and a suction cup

Use a large collar strung around the whales neck

11.

Transient orca whales

12.

Bowhead whales are important and iconic Alaskan whales.

Winter in the Bering Sea and migrate north as summer approaches to the Cukchi and Buefort Sea.

Winter in the Arctic Ocean and migrate south into the Chukchi and Bering Sea.

Winter in Baja Mexico and migrate north as as summer approaches to the Bering Sea.

Winter in Hawaii and migrate north as summer approaches into the Gulf of Alaska

Seabirds

Pinnipeds and Small Mammals

Cetaceans