Return to the Sea: The Life and Evolutionary Times of Marine Mammals"Return to the Sea portrays the life and evolutionary times of marine mammals--from giant whales and sea cows that originated 55 million years ago to the deep diving elephant seals and clam-eating walruses of modern times. This fascinating account of the origin of various marine mammal lineages, some extinct, others extant but threatened, is for the non-specialist. Set against a backdrop of geologic time, changing climates, and changing geography, evolution is the unifying principle that helps us to understand the present day diversity of marine mammals and their responses to environmental challenges. Annalisa Berta explains current controversies and explores patterns of change taking place today, such as shifting food webs and predator-prey relationships, habitat degradation, global warming, and the effects of humans on marine mammal communities."-- |
Contents
PAST DIVERSITY IN TIME AND SPACE | 29 |
PINNIPED DIVERSITY EVOLUTION AND ADAPTATIONS | 51 |
CETARTIODACTYLAN DIVERSITY EVOLUTION | 79 |
DIVERSITY EVOLUTION AND ADAPTATIONS OF SIRENIANS | 127 |
ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION | 151 |
Glossary | 175 |
Further Reading and Online Sources | 185 |
Illustration Credits | 191 |
Other editions - View all
Return to the Sea: The Life and Evolutionary Times of Marine Mammals Annalisa Berta Limited preview - 2012 |
Return to the Sea: The Life and Evolutionary Times of Marine Mammals Annalisa Berta Limited preview - 2012 |
Common terms and phrases
adaptations animals Antarctic aquatic Arctic areas Atlantic baleen whales behavior Berta body bones bottlenose dolphins bowhead breeding California Carl Buell cetaceans chapter clade coastal conservation crown group desmostylians diversity diving dorsal fin dugongs echolocation ecology ecosystem elephant seals Enaliarctos Eocene evolution evolutionary evolved example extant extinct feeding females Figure fish foraging forelimbs freshwater fur seals gray whales habitat hind limbs humpback whales killer whales krill late lineages living males manatees and dugongs marine mam marine mammal species marine mammals marine otters mating migrations Miocene mysticetes North Pacific Ocean odontocetes Oligocene organisms otariids painted by Carl phocids pinnipeds Pliocene polar bears populations porpoise predators prey produce relatively right whales river dolphin sea cow sea lions sea otters sirenians skull sounds Southern speciation sperm whale squid stem strategy suggests surface swimming tail teeth temperature tion toothed whales tusks walruses Weddell seals