ZOO Unit 3

97% of the planet is made up of our oceans. T/F

False

What makes a shark's jaws, and bite, unique?

Their lower jaw moves first then follows with their upper jaw.

What are the three ways sharks can give birth to their young?

They can spawn, lay eggs, or nourish them through the umbilical cords. They can also carry their eggs inside of them until they are ready to hatch and give birth.

Besides having cartilage, rather than a boney skeleton, what other characteristics do Chondrichthyes or cartilaginous fish share?

They have a two-chambered heart, a moveable jaw, and nostrils.

Cows kill more people a year than sharks. T/F

True

Whales can stay submerged for up to two hours before surfacing for air; and they can dive to depths of 3,900 feet or more. T/F

True

Most phytoplankton are simple forms of:

algae

Sponges are hermaphrodites that produce:

both eggs and sperm

Fish whose skeletons are made up of cartilage rather than bone:

cartilaginous fish

The class of fish that are cartilaginous:

chondrichthyes

Capable of maintaining a stable core body temperature, a warm blooded animal is:

endothermic

The area that is above water at low tide and under water at high tide:

intertidal zone

Animals without a backbone:

invertebrates

What are the four distinct shapes of sharks' teeth?

needle saw mallet can opener

Tiny pincer-like structures that are used by sea urchins to sting and capture their prey:

pedicellarines

A tiny organism that produces energy using photosynthesis and is the basis for all food chains and food webs in our oceans and seas:

phytoplankton

The amount of salt in water:

salinity

They are one of the smallest marine mammals found in the ocean.

sea otters

An animal fixed in one place, immobile:

sessile

Global ocean currents are created primarily by salinity variations and:

wind

What characteristics do sea otters have that keep them warm in the cold ocean waters they inhabit?

They have the thickest and densest fur in the history of living animals. They also eat massive amounts of food to produce heat.

Sharks are at the very top of the food chain in a Marine Biome. T/F

True

The octopus is one of the most intelligent animals in the Animal Kingdom according to scientists. T/F

True

What impact do wind and gravity have on the oceans and seas?

Wind and gravity have a big impact on the oceans and seas. They maintain the marine biome and together, create the Coriolis effect which is waves, currents, and tides. They also help keep the water in constant motion which refreshes nutrients, minerals, and oxygen for marine life to survive.

The tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets fresh water from a stream or river:

estuary

The largest species of the dolphin family:

killer whales

Milk producing glands in mammals:

mammary glands

Specialized structures in the tentacles of Cnidarians containing a barbed, threadlike tube filled with toxins that kill or stun prey stung by them:

nematocysts

One of the longest living animal on the earth is the

red sea urchin

A river or stream flowing into a larger body of water:

tributary

What characteristics in body structure do dolphins and whales have that allow them to swim quickly and move efficiently through the water?

Both have structures that are streamlined which enables them to move quicker and more efficiently. They also have flippers to propel them through the water.

Sea urchins have been nicknamed "sea wasps". T/F

False

Sponges are primarily found in freshwater. T/F

False

What are phytoplankton and what role do they play in a marine biome?

Phytoplankton is small organisms that make energy using photosynthesis and are the basis of all food chains and food webs in oceans and water-life. Phytoplankton contributes to the marine biome by being the role of prey in the oceans for other animals.

Why do sea otters make their homes in kelp forests?

The kelp protects the otters from predators and gives them an "anchor" when they sleep.

In addition to the structures found in a human eye, sharks also have one additional structure that allows them to see in the dark waters of an ocean. Briefly explain what that structure is and how their eyes allow them to see in those dark waters.

They have large eyes, cornea, retina, rods, cones, iris', pupils, and lens. They have a mirror-like layer at the back of each eye that helps them see in dark waters.

Explain how a shark's senses allow them it locate prey in the vast waters of the ocean.

They use small amounts of electricity and have acute hearing which allows them to detect vibrations made by humans or other animals.

Invertebrates make up 97% of the animals in the Animal Kingdom. T/F

True

Our oceans are in constant motion as a result of wind and tides. T/F

True

Sharks can detect very small amounts of electricity that are given off by other animals, including human beings. t/F

True

Some sharks have been hunted nearly to extinction simply to get their fins, which are then sold. T/F

True

Explain the adaptations that dolphins and whales have that allow them to stay under water for long periods of time, and that allow them to dive deep in the ocean.

Whales and dolphins have special lungs that store more oxygen allowing them to stay underwater longer. They also have larger blood vessels which allow them to go deeper underwater and defy intense water pressure.

What sets a Marine Biome apart from all other aquatic biomes?

What sets it apart is that it has a vast biodiversity of animal life and the water is salty.

These movements flow like rivers in one specific direction through the ocean:

currents

These marine mammals can stay submerged for up to 15 minutes, and they seldom dive below 20 feet:

dolphins

An animal that use its body to trap food from the waters it lives in:

filter feeders

Which species of shark has the longest lifespan, nearly that of a human?

great white shark

An organism that produces both eggs and sperm:

hermaphrodite

Sea otters are a keystone species helping to preserve the delicate balance of the

kelp forests

All mammals give birth to live young and they produce milk through pituitary glands to feed them. T/F

False

Jellyfish have pedicellarines to help them sting and catch their prey. T/F

False

Explain how filter feeders help to keep the Marine Biome healthy and in balance.

Filter feeders use plankton and filter the waters that they are in which removes toxins from the ecosystem.

Share three distinct characteristics that all mammals share.

They all have body hair or fur, the mothers nurture their young, and they feed their young with milk. They are also warm blooded and are vertebrates.

Tides are directly influenced by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon. T/F

True

Vertebrates are animals with a backbone. T/F

True

Small tooth-like projections on the skin of sharks:

denticles

The term for a species that has a critical impact on the health of an ecosystem:

keystone species

Scientists have also determined that sharks see in black and white. T/F

False

Energy flows through a Marine Biome in the same manner as land biomes of the world. T/F

True

Unable to maintain a stable core body temperature, for a cold blooded animal, the body temperature is the same as the temperature in its environment. Cold blooded animals are:

exothermic

A warm blooded animal vertebrate animal that has hair or fur, breathes air, gives birth to live young, and creates its own milk to feed their young:

mammal

Flexible protein material that helps sponges maintain their shape:

spongin

These marine mammals have specialized lungs that can store large amounts of oxygen:

whales

Marine mammals are only found in the warmer waters of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. T/F

False

The skin of seals, sea lions, and walruses is designed so that the outer layer remains at core body temperature as the inner layer holds in the body heat. T/F

True

Over half of the world's marine mammal species live right within the territorial waters of the United States. T/F

False

Phytoplankton are found throughout the depths of the ocean and provide the basis of the Marine Biome food chains. T/F

False

Very unique ecosystems are created along the coastal waters of continents; these ecosystems are called tide pools and estuaries. T/F

False

Briefly explain how sharks help maintain the balance in an ecosystem.

Since they are apex predators, they play a role in keeping ecosystems balanced and healthy. They kill and eat weaker animals that way populations of the species stay balanced and healthy. They also keep one species from taking over other resources.

Briefly explain how a shark "smells"; for example, how do they smell blood in the water?

Their nose isn't used to breathe but to lead in the organs to smell which helps them smell blood far away. This allows them to smell a drop of blood up to a quarter-mile away.

How do the denticles on a shark's skin benefit the animal?

They allow the shark to swim faster and more quietly.

What are two characteristics of marine mammals that help to keep them warm in the cold waters of our oceans?

They also eat vast quantities of food to make heat and have a thick layer of fat for insulation. Warm-blooded Have hair of fur

Briefly explain the purpose for the decorator crab taking items like shells, rocks, vegetation, soft corals, and even other marine animals like sponges to decorate its body.

They decorate themselves because they want to blend in to protect themselves from predators.

Give two examples that illustrate the high intelligence of the octopus.

They learn skills by observing other octopuses and can solve problems (ex. removing lids on containers to catch prey, build protective walls out of rocks, etc to protect themselves).

What impact do tides, waves, and currents have on wildlife in the oceans?

Tides impact wildlife by the result of the tides changing from high to low which makes a rush of nutrients, minerals, and oxygen that allow animals to continue to survive. Waves impact wildlife by carrying nutrients to animals that live on the shorelines and make it possible for animals to live in areas of beaches that otherwise be too dry to live in. Currents impact wildlife by running deeper underwater which contributes to climate and trade routes for ships, etc. It also makes weather patterns and climate.

What three factors determine the salinity of our oceans?

amount of evaporation amount of rain amount of freshwater flowing into the oceans

Sponges are hermaphrodites that produce eggs exclusively. T/F

False

The nurse shark is the largest shark in the world at 45 to 50 feet long, weighing in at a whopping 47,000 pounds. T/F

False

You are far more likely to be bitten by a shark than struck by lightning. T/F

False

Briefly explain what happens to the shell as a decorator crab grows in size.

It doesn't grow. Because of this, they have to shed their shell.

Like a chameleon, the octopus has pigment cells in its skin along with some very specialized muscles. T/F

True

Over half of the world's marine mammal species live right within the territorial waters of the United States. T/F

True

Scientists have recorded approximately 125 different species of marine mammals living in the oceans of the world. T/F

True

Sea otters are actually a part of the weasel family of animals. T/F

True

Seals, sea lions, and walruses lumber around on land, but they can swim anywhere from 6 to 18 mph in the ocean. T/F

True

Shark fins are as unique to each individual shark as fingerprints are to human beings. T/F

True

Sponge eggs move with the ocean currents until they "find a home", where they anchor down. T/F

True

The movement of the tides causes an influx of nutrients, minerals, and oxygen to replenish the water allowing the animals living along the coastlines to flourish. T/F

True

The tongue of a Blue Whale actually weighs more than a full grown elephant; these whales are the largest mammals on Earth. T/F

True

Tides are at their lowest when the sun and moon are at right angles to each other. T/F

True

It is the largest shark ever to have inhabited this planet:

megalodon

These odd, but beautiful marine animals are part of the class called Gastropod:

sea slug

Tiny Velcro-like hooks on the shell of a decorator crab.

setae

This type of movement in the ocean is directly influenced by gravitational pull of the sun and moon:

tides

These forces combine to cause the movements in our oceans:

wind and gravity