What are some aquatic mammals and their adaptations?
AQUATIC VERTEBRATES Five groups of vertebrates adapted for life in the water are: Fish: Jawless, Cartilaginous and Bony Fishes Amphibians: Frogs and Toads, Salamanders Reptiles: Snakes, Turtles and Tortoises and Crocodiles Birds: Penguins Mammals: Seals, Sea Lions, Dugongs, Whales and Dolphins, Platypus FISH Fish are the most primitive of vertebrates. There are about 2300 species of fish, which live in the fresh, salty or brackish water. Some species can live in all these types of water during the course of their life. Their bodies are covered with scales and they have fins to help their mobility. In most fish mobility is a result of waves contracting and then passing along the segmentally arranged muscle blocks on either side of the backbone. Fish breathe oxygen which is obtained from the surrounding water. This is done by pushing water over gills, which are made up of a series of folded filaments with a large surface area. Red blood cells in the gill filaments pick up the oxygen mole
