Question

whats the difference between a dolphin & porpoise, seal & seal lion, and manatee & dugong? how do you tell the difference between a male marine mammle and female marine mammal?

Answer 1

Dolphin V/s porpoise

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• Porpoise is smaller than their dolphin .
• Porpoise teeth are spade-shaped whilst dolphins are conical.
• dolphin has a hooked or curved dorsal fin whereas a porpoise has a more triangular dorsal fin
• dolphin bodies are leaner, porpoises are more chunky.
• Dolphins are also more "talkative" than porpoises.
• The whistles made by dolphins are produced through their blowholes where as porpoises do not do whistle

S​​​​eal V/s seal lion

• ​​​​​​Sea lions are brown, bark loudly, "walk" on land using their large flippers and have visible ear flaps.
• Seals have small flippers, wriggle on their bellies on land, and lack visible ear flaps.
• Seals lead solitary lives in the wild, Sea lions seen in groups called herds

Dugong v/s manatee

• manatees live a polygamous lifestyle, where as dugong is a monogamous
• Dugongs have tail flukes with pointed projections at the tips, with a concave trailing edge. Manatees have paddle-shaped tails more like a beaver that moves vertically while swimming.
• Dugongs tend to be smaller than manatees.
• Dugong is broad, short, and trunk-like. It faces downward with a slit for a mouth, useful for feeding off the ocean floor.
• Manatees have a short snout with a divided upper lip that curls around plants near the water surface.

male and female marine mammals

• females have a long external genital slit in which both the vulva opening and anal opening are located, while males have separate genital and anal slits
• Mammary slit flank on sides of genital slit in females and males don't have it.
• Single external genital slit in female