Pinniped High levels of organic chemicals accumulate in these animals since they are near the top of food chains and have large reserves of blubber. Lactating mothers can pass the toxins on to their young. These pollutants can cause gastrointestinal cancers, decreased reproductivity and greater vulnerability to infectious diseases. Other man-made threats include habitat destruction by oil and gas exploitation, encroachment by boats, and underwater noise. Pinniped Pinnipeds, commonly known as seals, are a widely distributed and diverse clade of carnivorous, fin-footed, semiaquatic marine mammals. They comprise the extant families Odobenidae (whose only living member is the walrus), Otariidae (the eared
Marine Mammal Stranding Center Marine Mammal Stranding Center The Marine Mammal Stranding Center (established in 1978) is a private non-profit organization located in Brigantine, New Jersey. The Stranding Center's main goal is to rescue, rehabilitate, and release stranded marine mammals and sea turtles. They are the only marine stranding center in New Jersey. Since 1978, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center has rescued more than 3,500 whales, dolphins, seals, and sea turtles. Although rehabilitation is costly, over 90% of the animals rehabilitated at the Marine Mammal Stranding Center make a full recovery and are returned to the wild. As well as dealing with marine animal