Humpback Whales
Seals and Sealions
Marine Birds
Bull Kelp
Ollie the Sea Otter
Bald Eagles
100
How do humpback whales stay warm?
Their Blubber!
100
Name the four species of pinepeds (seals and sea lions) in the Salish Sea.
(We saw 3 species during our boat trip)
Pacific harbour seals
Steller sea lions
California sea lions
Northern Elephant seals
100
Name one marine bird we saw during our session 2
Is it gulls, cormorants, common murres...any other marine bird we spotted!
100
Name the four parts of bull kelp. (The anatomy)
100
How do Sea Otters stay warm?
Their Fur!
Sea otters have the densest fur on the planet. This ensures they stay nice and warm in the cold Salish Sea!
100
Adult bald eagles have a ____ head and a ____ body, while juvenile bald eagles have golden brown coloration on the whole body.
a. bald - black
b. white - brown
c. white - black
Is it C?
One very easy way to tell adult vs juvenile bald eagles apart is their coloration! Adult bald eagles (older than 3-4 years old) have a very distinct white head on a black body.
200
What do humpback whales have instead of teeth?
Baleen! To sift out the water from their mouth they developed baleen plates instead of teeth. They are big spaghetti strainers!
200
How does the harbour seal protect itself from predators?
Camouflage (colour of fur)
Stealthy movements
Holding it's breath and hiding in the depths
Listening (they learn to distinguish the calls of mammal eating killer whales vs salmon eating killer whales)
200
Name one adaptation that marine birds have to better catch fish:
Is it: webbed feet, specialized beak shape, oily feathers....
200
Can bull kelp photosynthesis?
A- YES
B- NO
YES!!!
The blades provide photosynthesis and nutrient absorption.
200
What is a Sea Otters favourite food?
Sea Urchins!
200
The main food source for bald eagles is:
A. Fish
B. Other birds
C. Small mammals
Is it A?
Bald eagles' favorite food is fish! It makes up about 50% of their diet and not just salmon, bald eagles are known to eat a variety of fish such as herrings and other small bait fish.
They can also feed on other birds (25% of their diet) and small mammals (15% of their diet)
300
My body shape helps me survive and thrive, name parts of my body and their function that helps me do this
- streamlined bodies for efficient movement through water
- forelimbs modified into flippers to aid in steering
- tail positioned horizontally to achieve a powerful up and down propulsion
300
The weight of a Steller sea lion:
A. 800lb
B. 1500lb
C. 2400lb
BONUS - what do they eat ?
C. 2400lb Largest eared seal in the world!
BONUS - they eat more than 50 species of fish and invertebrates.
They are generalists and opportunistic feeders. Having such a large variety of prey ensures a consistent food source. They eat on average about 6% of their body weight daily.
300
Marine birds are attracted to bait balls which are big schools of small fish. How can they find them?
BONUS: from your answer, name the stimulus and the response
They can see them (stimulus); they can hear other birds already feeding on the bait ball or traveling to it (stimulus)....
300
How does kelp float?
The bulb (or pneumatocyst) is filled with gas (up to 10% carbon monoxide) , bringing the bulb and the blades to the surface of the water.
300
How do Sea Otters break open their food?
Using Tools!
Sea otters will use their favourite rocks to break open urchins and clams.
300
Bald eagles are considered generalists (they eat a variety of different prey). Name one adaptation that bald eagles have to catch their prey:
Is it: excellent vision, sharp talons, the ability to carry a prey that weighs more than them...
400
Do Humpback Whales Sleep?
A) Yes
B) No
No! Humpback whales cannot sleep. They shut half their brain off to rest while the other half stays on to remind the humpback to breathe.
400
What does the Pacific harbour seal use to detect the movement of prey underwater?
Their whiskers!!!
Their whiskers can detect water movements, such as the wake of a passing fish. Each whisker is a modified hair packed with nerves that are super-sensitive to movement such as the vibrations of a passing fish. By sweeping their whiskers on an object, they "feel" its size, shape and texture.
400
Seagulls are not diving birds. They have adapted to catch fish by:
1. Waiting for other diving birds to come up with fish in their mouth to try and steal it
2. Waiting for the bait ball (all the fish) to be pushed close to the surface by other diving birds
3. Both 1 and 2!
Is it 3?
Because seagulls are unable to dive, they have to wait until the fish come to the surface. They rely a lot on the other diving birds to either push the school of fish to the surface or to come up with their beaks full only to steal it!
400
The maximum length of the stipe?
A - 5 ft (1.5m)
B - 50 ft (15 m)
C - 75 ft (23m)
D - 100 ft (30m)
D - 100 ft (30m)
It can grow 10inches (25cm) in one day. One of the fastest growth rate of any large organism.
400
Where do Sea Otters keep their favourite tools?
A) On rocks
B) They find them as they eat
C) Their armpit pouch
D) Their pants pocket
C!
Sea Otters have arm pit pouches where they keep all of their favourite terms!
400
A bald eagle is flying over Whirl Bay and it spots a fish at the surface. It dives down to catch it.
What is the stimulus and what is the response to it?
A. The stimulus is seeing the fish. The response is diving down to catch it
B. The stimulus is flying over Whirl Bay. The response is seeing the fish
C. The stimulus is diving down to get the fish. The response is seeing the fish
Is it A?
500
True or false - Do humpbacks have hair/ whiskers?
Bonus- If so, what is their function?
The bumps on humpback whales' head, mouth and even on their flippers are called tubercles. Those raised surfaces are actually hair follicles where a single hair grows. Similar to like a whisker, it helps the whales be able to sense their environment.
500
The longest recorded dive time of a Northern elephant seal:
A. 32 minutes
B. 63 minutes
C. 109 minutes
C. 109 minutes!!!!
Average dive time is 23 minutes. They spend more than 80% of their lives at sea, and up to 90% of that time on deep dives.
Deepest recorded dive by a female elephant seal was at 1,735 m (6,000ft). That's more than a mile, almost 2km.
Elephant seal's eyes can adjust from daylight to low light conditions in siz minutes. Our eyes take 22 minutes.
500
At race rocks, it is common to see cormorants doing the "Batman pose" when drying their wings. When diving down to get fish, cormorants have adapted to get their feathers wet (other diving birds' feathers are covered in an oily substance to keep them dry). This is because:
1. Cormorants like to be wet!
2. By getting wet, cormorants gain some extra weight allowing them to be faster underwater
3. By getting wet, cormorants lose some extra weight allowing them to be slower underwater
Is it 2?
Cormorants have developed this adaptation to be faster underwater as a heavier object will sink faster than a lighter one. The downside? They have to dry a bit before they can easily fly again!
500
Why is kelp important to the Salish Sea?
*multiple answers accepted
- They form underwater forests, giving habitat, shelter and food to many species (as many as 750 species of fish and invertebrates).
- Intimately tided to sea urchins and sea otters
- Buffer the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide
- Produce oxygen
- Contribute to the productivity of coastal fisheries
- Most of us use kelp every day (vitamins, ice cream, toothpaste...)
- Cultural significance to the Coast Salish Peoples
500
How do Sea Otters find their food?
A) With Smell
B) With Touch
C) Their Hearing
D) Their Eyes
D!
Sea otter eyes have adapted to both land and marine living. They have a muscle that makes their eye lens a cone so they can see under water like other marine animals!
500
Bald eagles are considered marine birds:
1. TRUE
2. FALSE
Is it 1?
Bald eagles are considered marine birds! Most of their diet (about 50%) consists of fish, they can swim, and during the summer/early fall they are commonly found along the coastline.