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Our Research Journal
Nicholas Sia
Chan Poh Jin
Kenneth Lim &
Kevin Koh
Baleen Whales
• Baleen whales are different from toothed
whales because instead of teeth, they have
baleen, a proteinous substance, which
they use to siphon out small arthropods
and fish. Because these whales are
usually very large, they need a lot of these
animals to fill their diet; therefore, they
usually spend a lot of time feeding.
This is a picture of a baleen
whale.
Toothed-Whale
•The Toothed Whales are made up of
toothed whales and dolphins. They
use echolocation to find their
food. They do this by sending a
signal out in the water and then
detecting what it has bounced off
of. This way they can find out how
far away their prey is, how big it
is, etc. These whales and dolphins
are also thought to be very highly
intelligent.
This is a picture of a tootheddolphin
Turtles
• Marine turtles everywhere are dying needlessly
because of things people do.
• We kill them for their shells. We kill them for their
meat. We make soup from them.
• We kill them with our appetite for shrimp, because
most shrimp is caught using nets that trap and
drown turtles. Yes, turtles can drown.
• We steal their eggs by the thousands.
• We build condominiums right next to their nesting
sites, and then we flood the beach with bright
lights, disrupting their attempts to procreate.
• We pollute their waters with chemicals and garbage.
We carelessly let plastic bags get in to the ocean,
where a hungry sea turtle can mistake it for food
and die from the error.
• Why should we care? Just as the health of animals
on land tells us a lot about how the land is doing,
the marine turtles of the world are an indicator of
how our oceans are doing. Dying turtles are
symptoms of sick oceans. Oceans are the original
source of life on this planet, and if they die, they
will likely take us with them.
• We think people should work towards making the
world safe for the ocean's turtles. Each community
of marine turtles faces its own set of threats.
This is a picture
of a turtle.
Sharks
• There are at least 350 species of shark
ranging from the smallest, the pygmy
ribbontail catshark (8 to 10 inches long)
to the largest, the whale shark (up to
45 feet long). Sharks are equipped with
a special set of sensors, arranged in
clusters over their heads, that can pick
up electromagnetic currents emitted
from other animals. Sharks have bad
eyesight, but these sensors help detect
prey from 1 to 3 yards away. Sharks
can also detect the electromagnetic
fields of the Earth and may use this
ability to guide them during migration.
•
Sharks are often thought of as
cold-blooded killers that prey on
humans. However, only 32 species
have been known to attack humans,
and most attacks are accidents.
Often, sharks inhabit the same
shallow, warm-water areas as
humans. The shark may mistake a
person standing or floating in water
for natural prey. The shark goes in
for the kill but, after one taste,
usually gives up the attack.
• Many shark attacks involve people
trying to free sharks from fishing nets.
Sharks also are territorial animals and
may attack if they feel threatened. The
chances of being attacked by a shark
are very small, and the chances of
dying from a shark attack have greatly
decreased over the years. In fact, in the
United States, a person is 30 times
more likely to be killed by lightning than
by a shark. Dog bites are 1,000 times
more common than shark bites.
• Sharks are fished for their fins and
cartilage. Shark-fin soup is a popular
food in some areas. After the fin is cut
off, the rest of the shark is discarded.
Shark cartilage is a subject of much
scientific study because medicine made
from it may stop the growth of tumors.
Shark cartilage is sold in pill form as an
alternative medicine. Shark finning and
fishing for cartilage have caused a
decline in populations in some areas of
the world. Sharks mature and reproduce
slowly, so it is difficult for them to
rebound from a decline.
This is a picture of a shark.