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Introduction
I.1 What makes a marine mammal different from terrestrial
mammals, beyond just their environment?
When confronted for the first time with studying the biology of marine mammals, many
students are initially drawn in by the legends, lore, and intrigue of marine species. They
certainly are “charismatic megafauna,” and their photos and stories adorn numerous
websites and books. Their high visibility on display at aquaria gives the public a small
glimpse into their lives, but also may feed a tendency to produce polarizing opinions on
issues. These sometimes high-profile issues are numerous, from subsistence and commercial hunting, classification and handling of endangered species, local and international conflicts with fisheries, to sport boating and military operations. It is no wonder
that many people from around the world have some knowledge of whales, seals, walruses, otters, and more. There are many publications and books that cover these species
from almost all perspectives and we include some of those reference works for your
consideration.
This textbook, however, takes a step back, to focus on the physiological and biochemical characteristics that have allowed these mammals as a group to effectively exploit the
marine environment that is so hostile to humans. While there are thousands of individual
scientific papers and research-focused books that have asked this question in extreme
detail, we have compiled a series of larger discussions aimed at the student interested in
the general aspects of physiology and biochemical adaptation of marine mammal species.
The authors have focused on the key challenges that a marine mammal must overcome by
living in the ocean, and how they have evolved and adapted biological systems to successfully live where no other mammals can follow.
Our contributing authors come from a wide spectrum of academia, government,
industry, and veterinary science, however, all are experienced teachers in their respective
fields, and this book is written with that focus in mind. We hope to appeal to a broad range
of students, from those that are new to marine mammals, in general, to those that are well
into a focused graduate program and need a broader frame of reference. Our author pairings are specifically tailored to have mentors and up-and-coming researchers working
together to provide a perspective that is relevant to multiple generations of scientists. The
approach was intentionally international, such that our expertise reflected this group of
mammals with global distribution.
We cover the fundamental physiological, biochemical, and anatomical “tricks” that
have evolved in many species of marine mammals. We discuss variations in those adaptations, through a range of species. For example, the water balance issues facing a newly
Introduction
I.1 What makes a marine mammal different from terrestrial
mammals, beyond just their environment?
When confronted for the first time with studying the biology of marine mammals, many
students are initially drawn in by the legends, lore, and intrigue of marine species. They
certainly are “charismatic megafauna,” and their photos and stories adorn numerous
websites and books. Their high visibility on display at aquaria gives the public a small
glimpse into their lives, but also may feed a tendency to produce polarizing opinions on
issues. These sometimes high-profile issues are numerous, from subsistence and commercial hunting, classification and handling of endangered species, local and international conflicts with fisheries, to sport boating and military operations. It is no wonder
that many people from around the world have some knowledge of whales, seals, walruses, otters, and more. There are many publications and books that cover these species
from almost all perspectives and we include some of those reference works for your
consideration.
This textbook, however, takes a step back, to focus on the physiological and biochemical characteristics that have allowed these mammals as a group to effectively exploit the
marine environment that is so hostile to humans. While there are thousands of individual
scientific papers and research-focused books that have asked this question in extreme
detail, we have compiled a series of larger discussions aimed at the student interested in
the general aspects of physiology and biochemical adaptation of marine mammal species.
The authors have focused on the key challenges that a marine mammal must overcome by
living in the ocean, and how they have evolved and adapted biological systems to successfully live where no other mammals can follow.
Our contributing authors come from a wide spectrum of academia, government,
industry, and veterinary science, however, all are experienced teachers in their respective
fields, and this book is written with that focus in mind. We hope to appeal to a broad range
of students, from those that are new to marine mammals, in general, to those that are well
into a focused graduate program and need a broader frame of reference. Our author pairings are specifically tailored to have mentors and up-and-coming researchers working
together to provide a perspective that is relevant to multiple generations of scientists. The
approach was intentionally international, such that our expertise reflected this group of
mammals with global distribution.
We cover the fundamental physiological, biochemical, and anatomical “tricks” that
have evolved in many species of marine mammals. We discuss variations in those adaptations, through a range of species. For example, the water balance issues facing a newly