Sea Mammals

Dolphin (Bottle-nosed)

admin — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:14:08 +0000

The Bottle-nosed Dolphin is a sea mammal that can be regularly seen along the coastline of west England and off the coast near Cornwall. It can also be seen in the English Channel. It often swims with three to twelve dolphins in a group called a pod. This dolphin has a long beak which looks like the shape of a bottle and this is why it has its name the ‘Bottle-nosed Dolphin’. It is also the largest of the beaked dolphins.

The Bottle-nosed Dophin is about two and half to three metres in length and has a stocky-looking body. Its upperpart is dark grey and its throat and belly are pale grey. It has a fin on its back called a ‘dorsa'l fin and this fin looks very similar to the dorsal fin of a shark. The Bottle-nosed Dolphin also has a small ear hole behind each eye and one blowhole on the top of its head. It breathes through the blowhole.

Bottle-nosed Dolphins are relaxed and controlled swimmers and although they are not particularly playful dolphins, they do show interest in boats and swimmers. Bottle-nosed Dolphins have mouths that curve upwards which make look like they have a smile on their faces all the time. They do look very friendly sea creatures.

Dolphin (Common)

admin — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:15:17 +0000

The Common Dolphin is also called the Short-beaked Dolphin even though it has a medium to long beak. It is an open sea dolphin that is found in our northern, western and southern offshore waters. Common Dolphins are social creatures that are very rarely seen alone. They travel together in groups called 'schools' which may consist of ten dolphins or even hundreds of dolphins.

The Common Dolphin is a small dolphin with a length of around two and half metres. The upper part of the body is either black or dark brown and the under part is white or cream coloured. The Common Dolphin is also known as the ‘crisscross dolphin’ because it has a crisscross pattern running along its sides. It also has a fin on its back that curves backwards. This fin is called a ‘dorsal' fin.

Common Dolphins are very playful creatures that like to do flips and somersaults in the water. They can also be seen leaping with their whole bodies out of the water. Common Dolphins love riding on waves created by ships and they may even stay with a ship jumping and playing for several hours.

Porpoise (Harbour)

Debbie — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 09:50:50 +0000

The Harbour Porpoise is one of the smallest mammals of the sea, although it can grow up to nearly two metres in length and can weigh up to ninety kilogrammes. It also known as the Common Porpoise and can be seen around the English coast and in the inshore waters around the north Devon coast. It is the only porpoise found in our waters.

Some observers mistake the Harbour Porpoise for the small Bottle-nosed Dolphin. The Harbour Porpoise has a blunt head and no distinct beak, whereas the Bottle-nosed Dolphin has a long beak. It has a black or deep grey body on top and a light grey or white body below. It has flippers at the side of its body and a triangular-shaped fin on its back. This fin is called the ‘dorsal’ fin and is about twenty centimetres tall. The Harbour Porpoise has a mouth that is slightly upturned and teeth that are spade-shaped.

Harbour Porpoises are relatively slow swimmers that very rarely jump out of the water. They are usually seen in pairs or in small groups of five to ten and are difficult to observe because they swim with most parts of their bodies under the surface of the water.

Seal (Common)

Debbie — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:08:58 +0000

The Common Seal is also known as the Harbour Seal and is likely to be found along the sheltered east coast of England. It can also be seen from a seal observation point called ‘Blakeney Point’ on the Norfolk coast. Lots of Common and Grey Seals can be spotted there.

The Common Seal has a rounded head and a stocky-looking body with flippers at the sides. It has a small friendly-looking face with a flat, blunt muzzle and a large, black triangular-shaped nose. The Common Seal can be silver-grey, black or brown in colour and its body is often spotted all over with faint dark patches. It also has ears that are not visible.

On land the Common Seal can only wriggle on its stomach which makes it look weak and vulnerable. In the sea it becomes an athletic creature of beauty and grace. It has rear flippers which help it to swim and steer in water, especially when it is hunting for food. It eats a variety of fish and sometimes shrimps and squid. Although the Common Seal seems confident in water, it is still considered to be a nervous and wary sea mammal.

Seal (Grey)

Debbie — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:10:46 +0000

The Grey Seal is a large sea mammal that doesn’t seem to mind being in rough seas with heavy waves. It can be seen on the rocky west coasts of England as well as from a seal observation point called ‘Blakeney Point’ on the Norfolk coast. Lots of Grey and Common Seals can be spotted there.

Grey Seals are about two metres in length, although the males tend to be a little bit longer. The males can weigh up to three hundred kilogrammes, whereas the females usually weigh around a hundred kilogrammes. Grey Seals are strong and bulky-looking with broad shoulders and broad-shaped heads. They have elongated muzzles which make their heads look almost horse-shaped. They are mainly grey with lots of dark blotchy spots and markings on their bodies. Grey Seals have very gentle-looking black eyes.

On land the Grey Seal looks over-large and awkward, but in water it looks powerful and graceful. It has two relatively small, clawed flippers on each side of its body near to the front and two large webbed flippers towards the rear of the body. The flippers help the Grey Seal to swim and steer in water. Grey Seals are considered to be inquisitive creatures because they often have their heads above water so they can look around their immediate environment.

Whale (Killer)

Debbie — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:11:59 +0000

The Killer Whale is a huge sea mammal that can reach nine metres in length and can weigh up to five tonnes. It is also known as the Orca Whale and is not a true whale, but a member of the Dolphin family. It usually lives in groups called pods and can regularly be seen in the Irish Sea and occasionally off the north-east coast of England.

The Killer Whale has a heavy-looking body which is mainly black on top and white underneath. It has a black triangular-shaped fin situated in the middle of its back which is about one and a half metres tall. This fin is called a ‘dorsal' fin and behind this fin the Killer Whale has a white saddle-like patch. It also has a smaller white patch behind each eye. The eyes are very small compared to the size of this whale. The Killer Whale also has a large round blowhole which it breathes through.

The young of Killer Whales are called ‘calves’ and when they are first born they are about two and half metres in length and weigh around one hundred and eight kilogrammes. Calves stay very close to their mothers and they soon learn to communicate by making loud high-pitched calls.

Whale (Long-finned Pilot)

Debbie — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:17:50 +0000

The Long-finned Pilot Whale is also known as the Pilot Whale and it is not a true whale, but a member of the Dolphin family. It can be seen off the coast of south-west England, particularly in autumn when it follows shoals of Mackerel which is this whale’s favourite food.

The Long-finned Pilot Whale is a small whale that can reach five metres in length and can weigh around three tonnes. It is mainly black except for a light anchor-shaped patch on its chest. It has a broad, rounded head with a narrow mouth. It also has a very small beak that is difficult to spot. The Long-finned Pilot Whale has a prominent blowhole which is slightly crescent-shaped and it also has a broad fin on its back. This fin is called a ‘dorsal’ fin and is fifty centimetres tall and curves backwards.

Long-finned Pilot Whales are very social mammals that often swim together in groups known as pods. The pods can be up to as many as fifty in number. The young of these whales are called ‘calves’ and they are about two metres long when they are first born and weigh around one hundred kilogrammes.

Whale (Northern Minke)

Debbie — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:15:54 +0000

The Northern Minke Whale is also known as the Common Minke Whale. It is a large and impressive-looking sea mammal that can reach up to ten metres in length and can weigh up to ten tonnes. It is occasionally seen around the coast of south-west Cornwall singly or in smalls groups of up to two or four.

The Northern Minke Whale has a long slender body with a narrow, pointed snout. The upper part of its body is dark grey and the under part is a whitish colour. It has a fin on the rear end of its back. This fin is called a ‘dorsal' fin and it curves backwards. The Minke Whale has a very distinctive broad white spot or band on the top of its flippers. It also has a small blowhole which it breathes through.

The Northern Minke Whale is also a baleen whale. It is called a baleen whale because it has huge jaws lined with horny plates called ‘baleen’. It has about three hundred of these horny plates in its mouth. It uses these plates to filter food such as plankton, shrimps and prawns from the sea water.