Ecosystems Orca Salmon Forest ... Contact Us qm_create(0,false,0,100,false,false,false,false); qm_create(1,true,0,100,false,false,true,false); What is Marine Mammal?
The term marine mammal can be defined three different ways, and each of these ways carries with it implications about how we think of these animals.
Ecological definition: A marine mammal is any mammal species whose life depends upon the sea. That is, it is any mammal that lives in salt water and/or derives its food from a saltwater environment.
Taxonomic definition: The term marine mammal is defined as all the species in the following taxonomic orders: cetacea, pinnipedia, sirenia. In plain English, these are the whales, the seals, and the manatees.
Legal definition: In the US legal system, the term marine mammal is defined by the US Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). This act of Congress establishes special protection for marine mammals and defines that term as including all members of cetacea, pinnipedia, and sirenia, AND the polar bear and the sea otter (since these two members of the order Carnivora arguably depend entirely upon the sea as well).
For the most part, the species included in the term marine mammal are the same regardless of which of these definitions you use. Consider the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin as just one example. It is ecologically a marine mammal because it lives in the saltwater of the Atlantic Ocean. It is taxonomically a marine mammal because it is a member of cetacea. And it is legally a marine mammal since it is covered by the US Marine Mammal Protection Act. | |
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