Marine Birds Vertebrates Winged Bipedal Endothermic EggLaying A
Marine Birds
• • • Vertebrates Winged Bipedal Endothermic Egg-Laying A. Who are the birds? Taxonomic Class: Aves Evolved during the Jurassic (150 -200 MYA) 10, 000 living species Range in size from 5 cm to 3 m.
B. Unique Adaptations 1. Scales cover entire body some modified into feathers. 2. Adaptations for flight. a. Forelimbs are aerodynamic. b. Bones are hollow to make body lighter. c. 25% of muscles are located in the chest.
2. Adaptations for swimming. a. Webbed feet. b. Feathers weatherproofed with oil. c. Feathers create an aero- / hydrodynamic profile.
C. Other System Upgrades 1. Skeletal a. Bones are hollow with a network or struts for strength. b. Skull has enlarged eye sockets and toothless beak to reduce weight. c. Fused vertebrae in back provide stability for flight. 2. Respiratory a. High oxygen demand. b. Continuous airflow required. c. Hollow bones are connected to the lungs.
Man breathes during activity 80 x/min Pigeon breathes during activity 450 x/min
3. Digestive a. No teeth means that food must be “chewed up” after being swallowed. b. Crop – area where food is softened. c. Gizzard – grinds food with stones and enzymes. 4. Excretory (write this down – not on notes) a. No bladder means that waste is not stored. Urine combines with feces in cloaca before elimination. b. Glands above the eyes concentrate excess salt from the blood to be removed through nostrils.
Credit: Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings
5. Reproductive a. Internal fertilization. b. Gonads are reduced in size until mating season. c. Totally oviparous with amniotic egg that must be incubated to stay warm. The Amniotic Egg
D. Marine orders account for 3% of all species.
1. Procellariiformes Named for a beak that is designed to sense air speeds, smell fish underwater and secrete salt. Spend months at a time away from land. Sleep on the water’s surface. Fly up to 60 mph. 12 foot wingspan. Tubernoses: Albatross, petrels and shearwaters.
2. Pelecaniformes a. Have throat pouches and webbed feet. b. Live close to shore. c. Pelicans, cormorants, frigate birds and boobies.
3. Charadriiformes a. Adapted to life at land or sea. b. Excellent divers, swimmers and runners. c. Gulls and terns.
4. Sphenisciformes a. Short sturdy wings are flightless but good for swimming. b. One of the only birds with a thick layer of fat. c. May dive as deep as 875 feet. d. Native only to the Southern Hemisphere. e. Penguins
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