Copy of `American Cetacean Society - Cetacean terms`

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American Cetacean Society - Cetacean terms Category: Animals and Nature > Cetaceans Date & country: 30/08/2013, USA Words: 25

ATOC
Acoustic Thermometry of Ocean Climate

Baleen
In certain whales, the fibrous plates in parallel rows on either side of the upper jaw.

Benthic
Pertaining to the bottom of the sea.

Biota
The animal and plant life of a region considered as a total ecological entity.

Blow
In cetaceans, the expulsion of air at the surface through the blowhole(s).

Blowhole
In cetaceans, the single or paired respiratory opening.

Breach
To leap upward through the water surface.

Cephalopod
Any of various mollusks, such as an octopus, squid, or nautilus, having a beaked head, an internal shell in some species, and prehensile tentacles.

Cetacean
An aquatic mammal of the order Cetacea, including whales, porpoises and dolphins.

Dorsal
Pertaining to the back or upper surface of the body.

Dorsal fin
The fin along the midline of the back.

El Nino
A disruption of the ocean-atmosphere system in the tropical Pacific characterized by sea water temperatures warmer than normal and having important consequences for weather around the globe, including increased rainfall across the southern United States.

Flippers
In cetaceans, the forelimbs.

Flukes
In cetaceans, the horizontally positioned tail fin.

Intertidal
Between the extremes of high and low tide.

IWC
International Whaling Commission

Krill
Shrimplike crustaceans occuring in huge numbers in open seas, and eaten by baleen whales.

MBNMS
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Morbillivirus
Measels distemper virus

Morphology
The structure and form of an organism, excluding its functions.

Otolith
A calcareous particle found in the inner ear of certain vertebrates (fish, for example).

Pelage
The coat of a mammal, consisting of hair, fur, or wool.

Pelagic
Of, pertaining to, or living in open oceans or seas rather than waters adjacent to land or inland waters.

Ventral
Pertaining to the underside or lower part of the body.

Ventral grooves
In certain baleen whales, the furrows extending back from the chin.