• Interesting Facts about Amphibians (3)
• Interesting Facts about Birds (22)
• Interesting Facts about Fishes (9)
• Interesting Facts about Mammals (48)
• Interesting Facts about Reptiles (16)

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Sea Otters

DESCRIPTION: In appearance, sea otters are stouterand have larger ribcages, smaller tails and blunter muzzles than other speciesof otters. Yet, sea otters do possess the fine, dense fur coats characteristicof the Mustelidae. Their forefeet are small and dexterous with retractile clawsand the flipper-like hind feet are broad and webbed. Juvenile sea otters tendto be a uniform dark-cinnamon brown while adults develop lighter gray or buffcoloration on their heads.In general, mature male sea otters tend to beslightly larger than females of their respective subspecies. SIZE: Alaskan sea otters are slightly larger than California sea otters. Male Alaskan sea otters reach lengths up to 148 cm and male California sea ottersaverage 122 cm. Female Alaskan sea otters measure up to 140 cm in length FUN FACTS: The sea otter's dark brown fur is thefinest and densest of any animal fur. On an adult animal, there are anestimated 650,000 hairs per square inch. A sea otter relies on its fur to keepwarm-it doesn't have an insulating layer of blubber as other marine mammals do.Natural oils in a sea otter's fur repel water and trap tiny air bubbles,providing a layer of warm air between the otter's skin and the harsh elementsof its environment. Sea otters may spend as much as 48% of the daylight hoursgrooming their fur. Sea otters sleep, rest, and usuallyswim by paddling with their hindflippers on their backs. Californiasea otters spend almost all of their time in the water, while Alaska sea otters often sleep, groom, andnurse their young on land. Tooluse is an unusual behavioral trait seen only in sea otters and a few othertypes of animals. An otter may remove an abalone by repeatedly hitting it witha rock. It also may use a flat rock to break open the shells of crustaceans andmollusks. While holding the rock on its chest, the otter pounds the animal onthe rock until it breaks or opens.

Sea Snakes

DESCRIPTION: Sea snakes can be identified by theirflattened and oar-like tail. This adaptation allows sea snakes to propelthemselves through the water more effectively. Other aquatic adaptationsinclude salt glands and nostrils located at the top of their snouts to breathemore efficiently. SIZE: They vary in length, with the smallest adultsbeing 50 cm long, to the largest, which may exceed 2 m. FUN FACTS: Sea snakes are front-fanged and highlyvenomous. Afold in the gums of a sea snake hides the fangs, and the fangs quickly emergewhen biting. Sea snake fangs are fragile and may break off and remain in thewounds of their victims. To counter the problem of having weak fangs, seasnakes have potent venom that can easily paralyze, kill, and begin thedigestive process of the fish they target.

SeaTurtles

DESCRIPTION: Sea turtles are characterized by along, streamlined shell. Depending on the species, sea turtles color range canbe olive-green, yellow, greenish-brown, reddish-brown, or black. Limbs andflippers are adapted for swimming. Adult male and female sea turtles are equalin size. MALE: The tail may extend beyond the hind flippers.The claws on the foreflippers of sea turtle males (except leatherbacks) areelongated and curved, which may help them grasp a female's shell during mating. SIZE:   Most sea turtles are 53-114 cm. The largest species,the leatherback, can reach 1.2-1.9m. 2.9m was the largest leatherback recorded. Significantdifferences in size are not exhibited between the sexes. WEIGHT:  27 to 186 kg for smallerspecies.Leatherbackscan weigh 200 to 660 kg,with reported weights up to 870kg. FUN FACTS: Most scientists recognize eight speciesof these marine reptiles. Experts can identify each by the number and pattern ofscutes (horny plates) on the carapace (top shell). A leatherback turtle is covered withleathery skin, not scutes (horny plates) like other sea turtles. It is the onlymarine turtle whose backbone is not attached to the inside of its shell. Sea turtles are found in tropical andtemperate seas throughout the world. Adults of most species inhabit shallowcoastal waters. Some species migrate great distances form winter feedinggrounds to summer nesting areas. Typically, the only time sea turtlesleave the sea is when females haul out to lay eggs. On some uninhabited orsparsely-inhabited beaches, turtles of either sex have been observed basking onland. Once sexually mature, female seaturtles will typically return to the beach area from which they originallyhatched. Season after season, the females ascend their ancestral beach todeposit their own clutch. A female turtle digs a pit in the sand using her hindflippers, and deposits dozens of eggs the size of ping pong balls. These eggs thenincubate beneath the sand from roughly 1.5 to 2.5 months, at the end of whichtime the eggs hatch in approximate unison. The newly hatched turtles attempt toscramble to the surface, down the beach, and past the shoreline - with thesurvivors continuing the cycle of birth, growth, and return. During the first year after hatching,many species of sea turtles are rarely seen. This first year is known as the"lost year". Researchers generally agree that most hatchlings spendtheir first few years living an oceanic existence before appearing in coastalareas. Although the migratory patterns of the young turtles during the firstyear has long been a puzzle, most researchers believe that they ride prevailingsurface currents, situating themselves in floating seaweed where they are canfind food. Diets vary greatly among sea turtlespecies. Green and black sea turtles feed on seagrasses and algae. Loggerheads'and ridleys' strong jaws can crush crabs, shrimps, and molluscs. Leatherbacksprey only on jellyfish and other soft-bodied animals. The green sea turtle gets its name fromthe color of its body fat. A sea turtle cannot retract its limbs,head or neck under its shell like a land turtle. The shell adaptationsnecessary for retractile limbs would impede rapid swimming. Sea turtles' long, paddlelike flippersare adapted to locomotion in the water. Sea turtles are strong swimmers anddivers. Green sea turtles can stay under waterfor as long as five hours. Their heart rate slows to conserve oxygen: nineminutes may elapse between heartbeats. Alleight sea turtle species are listed as either endangered or threatened. Despiteseveral management measures to preserve sea turtles, their future is still inquestion, due to a number of natural and human-induced factors.

Sperm Wwhale

DESCRIPTION:  The sperm whale is a large,dark-colored, toothed whale with a massive, square-shaped head that can make upmore than a third of its body length. It has a single blowhole that is set onthe forehead and to the left, which produces a distinctive, angled blow. SIZE: Maximum size approaches 20 m; males growsubstantially larger than females.Male - 15.2m,Female - 10.7 m WEIGHT: Male -, 39,500 kg, Female - 12,200 kg FUN FACTS: Sperm whales posess the mostasymetrical skull of any mammal. Sperm whales have the largest brain ofany living animal - weighing up to 4.2 kg Sperm whales have been sonar tracked indives exceeding 2,250 m(1.4 miles).Analysis of stomach contents indicates that sperm whales are capable of divingbeyond 3,000 m. The longest recorded dive for a spermwhale was in excess of two hours. Spermwhales receive their common name for the massive spermaceti organ located inthe forehead region. This organ can hold up to 1,900 liters of wax-like oil.Opinions differ as to the purpose of the spermaceti. Some scientists believethat variations in oil density may assist the sperm whale in adjusting itsbouyancy during dives. Other scientists believe that the oil is used as anaccoustic aid in the process of echolocation.

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