MEET THE (MARINE) MAMMALS

What Makes a Marine Mammal?

These animals meet the characteristics of all mammals – they breathe air through lungs, are warm-blooded, have hair (at some point during life), and produce milk to nurse their young – while also living most or all of their lives in or very near the ocean. Dive with us into the fascinating underwater world of marine mammals, and read about how they live and thrive in a completely different environment from conventional mammals. In Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, the main character, Pi, speaks of how his dad had a sign that asked if people wanted to see the most dangerous animal in the zoo. An arrow pointed to a curtain with a mirror hidden beneath. As human beings, we look for ourselves in everything we see. Anthropocentrism is an instinct that we inevitably possess: We interpret the world in terms of human values and experiences.

This is why, when someone mentions clever dolphins, dog-like seal pups, and fluffy polar bears, we squeal with delight. In contrast, googly-eyed fish and pear-shaped oysters don’t quite elicit the same response. The former, although also sea-dwelling, are underwater species that are closest to us; we see ourselves in these marine mammals. All mammals are viviparous, meaning that their young develop inside the