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| A membranous sac beneath the cell membrane of a microbe belonging to the group Alveolata. |
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| alveolus (plural alveoli) (in animals) |
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Definition
| Tiny air sacs in the lungs of animals. |
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| A digestive by-product of sperm whales that is used in making perfume. |
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| A proteinaceous structure used to strain food from the water; it takes the place of teeth in baleen whales. |
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| In mammals, the equivalent of the blastula, the hollow ball of cells that results from the cleavage stages of early embryonic development. |
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| A hole on the top of the head of a cetacean that serves as the opening to the animal’s respiratory system. |
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| The fat layers of marine mammals. |
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| The large bumps on the snout of a humpback whale. |
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| A behavior thought to be a mating ritual of male humpback whales in which the animal jumps out of the water and comes crashing back down, creating a loud noise. |
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| A ring of bubbles produced by humpback whales that is used to capture food. |
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| An animal belonging to the mammalian order Cetacea, which includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. |
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| A collective term referring to dolphins and porpoises. |
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| High-frequency click used by toothed whales, such as dolphins, to get a precise picture of an object. |
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| A process that allows some cetaceans to use sound waves to distinguish and home in on objects from distances of several meters. |
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| A cetacean behavior in which a whale rolls over onto its back and flaps its flippers in the air. |
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| A cetacean behavior in which the tail is brought straight up such that the fluke clears the water but remains turned down. |
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| A cetacean behavior in which the tail is brought straight up so that the ventral (bottom) surface is visible. |
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| The period of time that the young is carried in the uterus of a placental mammal. |
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| A cetacean behavior in which a whale breaks the surface of the water and falls forward. |
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| A pigmented protein in red blood cells that functions in transporting oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. |
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| Able to maintain a constant body temperature. |
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| A tough protein found in mammalian hair and nails and in the baleen of cetaceans. |
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| The period of time during which a female mammal nurses her young. |
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| A waste product produced in muscle tissue when there is not enough oxygen to support aerobic metabolism. |
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| Special gland in female mammals that produces milk. |
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| An oval mass of fatty, waxy material located between the blowhole and the end of the head in cetaceans capable of echolocation. The melon directs and focuses the sound waves produced by an animal. |
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| Another name for the gray whale, Eschrictius gibbosus. |
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| A pigmented protein in vertebrate muscle that stores oxygen. |
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| Another name for the killer whale, Orcus orcina. |
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Definition
| A low-frequency click produced by toothed whales, such as dolphins, that gives the animal a general idea of its surroundings. |
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Definition
| A cetacean behavior in which a whale rolls on its side and slaps the water with its pectoral fin to create a forceful splash and loud sound. |
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| A cetacean behavior in which pectoral fins are used to stroke the body of another whale. |
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Definition
| The part of a whale’s body closest to the tail fluke. |
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| A cetacean behavior in which the whale swings the rear portion of its body, sometimes as far forward as its dorsal fin, out of the water, and then drops it. |
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Definition
| A seal that belongs to the family Phocidae. Also known as true seals, these animals lack external ears and are unable to rotate their flippers beneath their bodies. |
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Definition
| An animal belonging to one of the following mammalian families: Otariidae, Phocidae, or Odobenidae. These animals are characterized by having flippers at the ends of their limbs and include seals, sea lions, elephant seals, and walruses. |
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| An organ present only during pregnancy in some female mammals that functions in maintaining the fetus until birth. |
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| Mammal that retains its young inside the body until birth. |
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| polygynous (pah-LIJ-eh-nehs) |
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Definition
| Relating to a male having more than one female mate. |
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| A type of baleen whale in the family Balaenopteridae. These whales have a dorsal fin and ventral grooves on their throats. |
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Term
| seasonal delayed implantation |
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Definition
| A process by which a placental mammal can adjust her gestation period of less than one year into an annual time frame by delaying the implantation of the blastocyst in the uterus. |
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| A unique sound made by a dolphin that identifies the animal that is vocalizing, gives its location, and may relay other information as well. |
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Term
| sirenian (sy-REE-nee-uhn) |
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Definition
| An animal belonging to the mammalian order Sirenia, which includes manatees and dugongs. |
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Term
| spermaceti (spur-meh-SEH-tee) |
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Definition
| A thin, colorless, transparent oil that forms a waxy material when it comes into contact with air. Spermaceti is found in a cavity in the head of sperm whales. |
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Definition
| A cetacean behavior in which a whale sticks its head straight up out of the water and surveys its surroundings. |
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Definition
| An aggressive cetacean behavior in which a whale can cock its tail up in the air and bring it down on an opponent. |
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| One of the two lobes of a whale’s tail. |
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| A cetacean behavior in which a whale lifts its tail high above the water and slaps it down on the surface with such force as to make a huge splash and produce a loud noise. Also known as tail slapping. |
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Definition
| A cetacean behavior in which a whale lifts its tail high above the water and slaps it down on the surface with such force as to make a huge splash and produce a loud noise. Also known as tail lobbing. |
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Definition
| A cetacean behavior in which the tail is moved from side to side across the surface of the water to create turbulence. It is thought to be an aggressive display. |
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| A condition that occurs when nitrogen gas dissolved in the blood comes out of solution and forms gas bubbles as the pressure decreases during an ascent from deep water. The bubbles can interfere with the circulation of blood to body tissues causing tissue damage or even death. |
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| The diploid and genetically unique cell that is formed upon fusion of two haploid cells or gametes of different strains or, in the extreme case, when the egg is fertilized by a sperm. |
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