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What is Marine Mammal?
The term “marine mammal” can be defined three
different ways, and each of these ways carries with it implications
about how we think of these animals.
Ecological definition: A “marine mammal” is any mammal species whose
life depends upon the sea. That is, it is any mammal that lives in
salt water and/or derives its food from a saltwater environment.
Taxonomic definition: The term “marine mammal” is defined as all the
species in the following taxonomic orders: cetacea, pinnipedia,
sirenia. In plain English, these are the whales, the seals, and the
manatees.
Legal definition: In the US legal system, the term “marine mammal”
is defined by the US Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). This act
of Congress establishes special protection for marine mammals and
defines that term as including all members of cetacea, pinnipedia,
and sirenia, AND the polar bear and the sea otter (since these two
members of the order Carnivora arguably depend entirely upon the sea
as well).
For the most part, the species included in the term “marine mammal”
are the same regardless of which of these definitions you use.
Consider the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin as just one example. It is
ecologically a marine mammal because it lives in the saltwater of
the Atlantic Ocean. It is taxonomically a marine mammal because it
is a member of cetacea. And it is legally a marine mammal since it
is covered by the US Marine Mammal Protection Act.
But there are exceptions. An interesting way to explore this is to
answer the following riddle. When is a marine mammal not a marine
mammal?
Example 1: The Lake Baikal Seal would be an example of a correct
answer. It is a marine mammal taxonomically because it is a member
of pinnipedia. But because the species is entirely isolated to the
fresh waters of Lake Baikal in Siberia, it is not a marine mammal
ecologically. It never encounters saltwater and it is a species that
lives its entire life a thousand miles from the nearest ocean.
Example 2: The Sea Otter is a marine mammal both ecologically and
legally since it lives in the sea and is covered by the MMPA.
However it is not a marine mammal taxonomically since it is not a
whale, a seal, or a manatee.
There are other examples. See if you can think of any!
Marine mammals have long held a special fascination for people.
Perhaps it is their large size and graceful beauty, or perhaps it is
because of our own love of the sea. Whatever the reason, it is
certainly a sentiment that we share. Follow the links at the left to
learn more about these wonderful creatures.
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