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What is a Marine Mammal?

A mammal in general will have these five characteristics:

  1. Give birth to live young
  2. ‘warm-blooded’
  3. §Have hair
  4. §Produce milk for offspring
  5. §Air-breathing

"Moonshine", MARS 0302

 
Taxonomic Classification of Marine Mammals
§Kingdom:  Animalia 
§Phylum:  Chordata
§Class:  Mammalia
Order:  Cetacea (whales and dolphins), Sirenia (manatees and dugongs, Pinnipeds (seals and sea lions)
§
§Family:  Whales - Odotoceti (toothed) and Mysteceti (baleen)
§Genus and §species:  There are approximately 80 species of dolphins and whales in existence!