Which features are typical of whales that belong to Odontoceti?

Odontocetes have conical teeth designed for catching fish or squid. They have well-developed hearing, that is well adapted for both air and water, so much so that some can survive even if they are blind. Some species are well adapted for diving to great depths.

How do whales stabilize ecosystems?

Whales play a vital role in the marine ecosystem where they help provide at least half of the oxygen you breathe, combat climate change, and sustain fish stocks. How do they do it? By providing nutrients to phytoplankton.

What are Mysticetes and odontocetes?

Cetaceans are animals that were amphibious who came back into the water. There are two families of whales the Mysticetes (mustache whales) and the Odontocetes, the toothed whales.

What is a defining or unique trait for baleen whales compared to other whales?)?

The key difference between them is the way they feed and what they have inside their mouth. Baleen whales have baleen plates, or sheets, which sieve prey from seawater. Toothed whales have teeth and they actively hunt fish, squid and other sea creatures.

What major feature do members of the subgroup Odontoceti have?

The order Cetacea is divided into three subgroups: The Odontoceti or “toothed whales,” including 65 or more living species of dolphins, porpoises and whales (sperm whales, belugas, narwhals and beaked whales). All of these species have teeth.

Why are whales so important to the ocean?

Whales are at the top of the food chain and have an important role in the overall health of the marine environment. Whales play a significant role in capturing carbon from the atmosphere; each great whale sequesters an estimated 33 tons of CO2 on average, thus playing their part in the fight against climate change.

How are odontocetes related to whales?

The ancestors of present-day odontocetes probably evolved during the Oligocene Epoch (33.7 million to 23.8 million years ago) from a group of more ancient whales called archaeocetes, which also had teeth, as did some early baleen whales.

What is a suborder Odontoceti?

toothed whale, (suborder Odontoceti), any of the odontocete cetaceans, including the oceanic dolphins, river dolphins, porpoises, pilot whales, beaked whales, and bottlenose whales, as well as the killer whale, sperm whale, narwhal, and beluga whale.

How does the baleen vary from species to species?

The key difference between them is the way they feed and what they have inside their mouth. Baleen whales have baleen plates, or sheets, which sieve prey from seawater.

Why are baleen whales so large?

Image via NOAA. Stronger upwelling created the right conditions for baleen whale prey, such as krill and forage fish, to become concentrated in dense patches along coastlines. Whales that fed on these prey resources could forage efficiently and predictably, allowing them to grow larger.