ABSTRACT
The group of mammals collectively referred to as “marine mammals” has no true basis in taxonomic reality, but instead is a grouping of mammals that share a common trait of having “returned to the ocean” at some point in their evolutionary history. Despite the fact that all of these species now make their living in the aquatic environment, they vary in their prey preferences and nutritional and energy requirements. As a consequence, husbandry of marine mammals is often more of a process of trial and error that relies heavily on anecdotal observation than a science, primarily due to lack of data on specific nutritional and energetic requirements of many species.
