Cetaceans are the marine animals best known for their presence in ancient histories and legends, they are animals that have always aroused a great interest on the part of the human being, these animals are, in general, great strangers that gradually disappear without us.apparently doing anything.
In this article of Animal Expert we will talk about cetaceans – what are, their characteristics, where they live and other curiosities Do you want to know more about these inhabitants of the sea depths?Read!
- The order of cetaceans is composed of two sub-orders.
- Mystical.
- Made up of bearded whales.
- And odontocetos.
- Composed of toothed cetaceans.
- Such as sperm whales.
- Dolphins and orcas.
The evolution of cetaceans has led to a similarity between these two living sub-orders, being the result of evolutionary convergence. The common structural characteristics between the two groups, such as the shape of the body, the nostril or the position of the spirácle on the head, the absence of vocal cords and the similar shape of the lungs suggest that these species evolved from different ancestors to very similar animals.
Therefore, cetacean mammals are pulmonary animals that inhabit our seas and oceans, although some species live in rivers.
Cetaceans are characterized by their anatomy, morphology, physiology and habitat, the main characteristics of cetaceans are:
The habitat of cetaceans is the aquatic environment.Otherwise, their skin would dry out and die. Some cetaceans live in circumpolar waters, such as beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) or narwhals (Monodon monoceros), so they are adapted to low temperatures, others have a more tropical distribution, such as longfin calderón (Globicephala melas) and shortfin calderón (Globicephala macrorhynchus).
Some of these animals live in fresh water and are highly endangered species of cetaceans, mainly due to river pollution, dam construction and discriminated hunting.The list of cetaceans that live in rivers is:
The vast majority of cetaceans migrate each year from their feeding sites to their breeding sites, at which point these animals are no longer protected.
In the image we can see a pink button
Cetaceans are divided into two main groups: mysticidas and odontecetos.
Mystics, commonly known as whales, are less numerous and are mainly characterized by bearded patches rather than teeth, they are huge animals that usually live in cold water, some of their species have not been observed in cetacean sightings for decades.mysticidas are:
In the image we can see a fin whale
Odontocetes are cetaceans with real teeth, in greater or lesser numbers, they are very numerous and include a good variety of species, all are carnivorous animals.The most well-known species of odontocet are:
In the image we can see a common pilot whale:
If you would like to read articles similar to, we recommend that you visit our Curiosities section of the animal world.