What mammals are there in the ocean?

Warm-blooded, viviparous and lactating marine animals are called marine mammals, which can also be called wild mammals in the ocean.

Generally speaking, mammals are very suitable for living on land, which is their paradise, but some mammals are special groups suitable for the marine environment, such as whales, sea otters, sea lions, seals and manatees. They have adapted to marine life and generally have a spindle-shaped or streamlined body shape, but they are still warm-blooded animals, breathing with their lungs and retaining the characteristics of mammals.

The common life feature of seals, sea lions and walruses is that they generally live in the ocean and feed on fish. However, sometimes I will come to the shore to rest and raise my children; They all have streamlined bodies and thick fat under their skin to resist the cold sea water; All flippers can be used as paddles in the water. Among them, sea lions and seals are close relatives. The difference between them and seals is that sea lions and seals can walk on land because their flippers can face forward, but seals can't. In addition, ears like little fingers are also a feature that seals lack.

In fact, sea lions can be called "memory masters". American marine biologists Colleen Kastak and Ronald Schuterman tested the memory of a female sea lion named Leo in 199 1 year. 10 years later, they were surprised to find that this sea lion could easily deal with these "tricks" with his extraordinary memory without any hint. Another particularly interesting thing is that a well-trained sea lion in the US special forces once picked up a rocket that sank to the bottom of the sea within 1 minute. As long as people gave him a little squid and fish as a "reward", he was very happy and satisfied.

Walrus, as its name implies, is an elephant in the sea, and it is found in the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Its body is huge and ugly, its skin is rough and wrinkled, its eyes are narrow, and its canine teeth protrude from its mouth. Walrus is an excellent swimmer in the ocean, and its performance in water is much more sensitive than that on land. In order to adapt to marine life, walruses also have the ability to change their body color.

The sea otter is a "new" member who entered the sea about 65,438+0,000 years ago. Its small round head has a very obvious beard, and its small ears are hidden in fur, which looks like a big mouse. Sea otters spend about half a day tidying their fur. By combing, it can not only keep the fur clean, but also promote the secretion of sebaceous glands, so that the fur forms a thermal barrier in water. In addition, sea otters also use tools, often taking stones from the bottom of the sea and putting them on their chests as anvils, breaking the hard shells of mussels to feed.

Manatees are similar in appearance to dugong (alias mermaid) and have a spindle-shaped body. It is different from dugong's tail in shape: manatee's tail is fan-shaped, while dugong's tail is flat and forked. Manatees are used to sleeping in the deep sea during the day, going out at night and going out for food at night. It is the only herbivorous mammal in the ocean, and its food intake is amazing, because the weight of aquatic plants it eats every day is 5% ~ 10% of its own weight. But you don't have to worry about indigestion! Its intestine is 30 meters long, which is conducive to slowly digesting and absorbing the food it eats. Interestingly, manatees eat grass like carpets, one by one, which is really a veritable "weeding machine" in the water.