MARITIME By: Carolina Silva

PROJECT Period:3
MARINE MAMMALS
Whales- Beluga Whale & Humpback Whale
 
Dolphins- Amazon River Dolphin & Atlantic Spotted Dolphin
 
Manatee- Amazonian Manatee & West Indian Manatee

Seals

Sea Lions
BELUGA WHALE
Belugas are social animals that live in pods (group of belugas), communicating in
different ways. They are adapted to both warm and cold water. They can be found in
Russia, Alaska, and Greenland. Belugas usually migrate to shallower or deeper
waters when the Arctic sea freezes over, so they won’t die because of the Arctic ice
or predators like polar bears, killer whales, or Artic people. Belugas do not migrate to
give birth, they are used to cold and warm water, for that reason there is no need to
migrate to give birth. The Beluga Whale is in the top
of the food chain and they have an important role in the health of other marine
animals. Climate changes and loud sounds can affect Belugas health, by melting the
Arctic ice (which they need to live) and the loud sounds could affect their hearing
(which they need to communicate). Humans can help by making less noises with
shipping, industrial extraction, marine construction, and military activities. We can
also help by decreasing the air pollution.
 
HUMPBACK WHALE
The Humpback whales roam all over the world,
migrating about 25,000 kilometers each year. They
can be found in the Caribbean, South Florida, Brazil,
Madagascar…The Humpback whales usually
migrate on winter to warm waters to give birth, and
in summer, spring, and autumn they migrate to
cooler waters to feed. They usually migrate to
South Florida, Australia, and Africa to give birth. The
Humpback whale is threatened by fishing gears,
ship strikes, and injuries caused by excessive
noises. We can help by certifying where ships pass,
so it won’t hit any whales and we could also help by
fishing where whales do not pass by. All these
actions would prevent starvation of other animals,
like sharks and killer whales.
COMPARING THE WHALES
Differences Similarities
The Beluga whale and the They can be similar in feeding,
Humpback whale are different in they both feed in the same
size and weigh. Belugas are 20 thing, Krill, Crustaceans, and
feet long and they weigh fishes.
approximately 1,5 tons. The
Humpback whales are three They can both be found in
times bigger than the Beluga Greenland and Alaska.
measuring 60 feet long, and
they are heavy weighting 39,5
tons.
AMAZON RIVER DOLPHIN
The Amazon River Dolphin uses whistles tones to
communicate to each other. They are the only
species of river dolphin kept in captivity, mainly
in the U.S.A., Venezuela, and Europe. It is
difficult to train and when captive might seem
aggressive. The Amazon River Dolphin migrates
when the river flood, they migrate to marshes to
find more food and reproduce. To reproduce they
migrate inside Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador. The
Mercury pollution is one of the main threats to
the amazon river dolphin. They are often killed or
injured when people try to chase them away. We
can help by stopping to chase them away and
also stop with the gold mining activities.
ATLANTIC SPOTTED
DOLPHIN
The Atlantic Spotted Dolphins are fast
swimmers and used to human contact.
They can be found in the Bahamas and
South Florida. They are preyed by
sharks and killer whales. The Atlantic
Spotted Dolphin do not migrate, they
stay in their habitat to reproduce and
eat. They give birth in the Caribbean
Oceans, Brazil, and Gulf of Mexico.
They are threatened by sharks and
killer whales, they can be accidentally
caught by fishing nets, and struck by
boats. We can’t help a lot, the only
thing we can do is be care full with
people’s boats.
COMPARING THE DOLPHINS
Differences Similarities
They are found in different They are both hunted by large
places. Amazon river dolphin sharks and killer whales.
are found in South America and
the Atlantic Spotted dolphin is They both feed in small fishes.
found in North America.They are
from different families. The
Atlantic Spotted dolphin is from
Delphinidae family and the
Amazon River dolphin is from
Iniidae family.
 
AMAZONIAN MANATEE
The Amazonian manatee lives in
freshwater habitats, in Brazil, Peru,
Bolivia, and Ecuador. It is also known as
sea cow. They have nostrils instead of
blowholes. They can be under water for
14 minutes. The Amazonian Manatee
migrate to avoid being exposed to
attack by predators during the low water
season. They give birth in rising river
levels in their native region (Florida And
the Caribbean). They are threatened by
collisions with boats and pollution. We
can help by decreasing the pollution and
by decreasing the boat transportation.
WEST INDIAN MANATEE
West Indian manatee is the largest manatees
in the world. They are divided in two
subspecies, the Florida manatee and the
Caribbean manatee. They can be found in both
Florida and Caribbean. They migrate to adapt
to changing water temperatures. The West
Indian Manatee do not have a matting season
so they can mate at any time of the year where
they want. Their major threats are collisions in
boats, and habitat lost caused by coastal
development. We can help by using other
types of transportation and ending pollution.
 
 
COMPARING MANATEES
Differences
They are found in completely
different places.
They have different body sizes.
Similarities
They are both hunted by
humans, for their uses.
They feed on seaweeds, fruits,
and plants.
VIDEO
https://youtu.be/ZCJgvabihQ8