Biology of Marine Mammals

Download or read book Biology of Marine Mammals written by John E. Reynolds and published by Smithsonian Institution. This book was released on 2013-08-06 with total page 588 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Taking an integrated approach to the biology of marine carnivores, cetaceans, and sirenians, twenty-two prominent researchers compare marine mammals with one another and with terrestrial mammals, providing a framework for fundamental biological and ecological concepts. They describe functional morphology, sensory systems, energetics, reproduction, communication and cognition, behavior, distribution, population biology, and feeding ecology. They also detail the physiological adaptations—for such activities and processes as diving, thermo-regulation, osmoregulation, and orientation—that enable marine mammals to exploit their aquatic environment.