Animal Encyclopedia Category: Marine Mammals

Marine otters are foraging predators that eat a wide variety of prey. While they prefer invertebrates, including crabs, clams, and other hard-shelled groups, they are also known to eat some fishes, juvenile birds, and even other mammals. They also scavenge for garbage, bringing them into close contact with people. Unlike many species of weasels, scientists believe the … Read more

Though they are quite large (up to 46 feet/14 m), gray whales feed on small benthic worms and other invertebrates. Through a unique feeding strategy known as suction feeding, gray whales bite off huge mouthfuls of soft sediments (sand or mud) from the seafloor and then constrict the muscles of their mouths and throats to force out … Read more

Interestingly, though they are enormous, fin whales are not predatory. They filter feed for tiny krill or small pelagic fishes and are totally harmless to people (other than through accidental collisions). This life history strategy is common among several large animals in the ocean, including the whale shark, the basking shark, and the other great whales. Like all … Read more

The narwhal is one of just two species in the “white whales” family, the other being the beluga. As they are closely related and do not have the characteristic tusk of the males, juvenile and female narwhals can be incorrectly identified as belugas. Narwhals typically have more dark coloration, however, than their solid white cousins. Narwhals are restricted … Read more

Its preferred pupping areas include rocky shores and lava flows. This species is not a true seal and is instead closely related to sea lions and other fur seals (together known as the “eared seals”). The Juan Fernandez fur seal is a generalist predator that feeds mostly on shallow reefs near the shore, though it may … Read more

Hawaiian monk seals are generalist predators known to eat fishes, squids/octopuses, and crustaceans, like crabs and lobsters. They are also one of the few species known to successfully hunt and eat garden eels – elongate, shy eels that live in deep burrows in sand flats near coral reefs – and they have been documented diving to … Read more

Short-beaked common dolphins feed on schooling fishes and squids in the open ocean and may follow some fishes as they migrate along currents or oceanic “fronts.” Like their prey, short-beaked common dolphins form large groups (typically composed of hundreds of individuals) for hunting and socializing, and at times, hundreds of these groups come together to form … Read more

Interestingly, though they are enormous, blue whales are not predatory. They filter feed for tiny krill and are totally harmless to people (other than through accidental collisions). This life history strategy is common among several large animals in the ocean, including the whale shark, the basking shark, and the other great whales. Like all whales, blue whales are … Read more