BIOSM 3210

Anatomy and Function of Marine Vertebrates

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2025-2026 Catalog.

Designed to introduce students to a comparative study of the principal organ systems of vertebrates (i.e., fishes, sea turtles, marine birds, marine mammals) that are specifically adapted to the marine environment. Rather than focusing only on description of anatomical structure, the anatomy of structures will be integrated with function, biological role, and evolutionary relationships. Laboratory exercises cover osteology, dissection, behavior and biomechanics.

Prerequisites one semester of college-level biology or equivalent.

Distribution Requirements (OPHLS-AG), (BIO-AS)

Exploratory Studies (CU-SBY)

Last 4 Terms Offered 2025SU, 2024SU, 2023SU, 2022SU

Learning Outcomes

• Students will be able to identify structural adaptations of marine vertebrates from the various anatomical systems.
• Explain how marine vertebrates cope with extreme environmental stresses with regard to diving, high pressure, and salinity.
• Identify and describe sensory modalities associated with the marine environment and depth, including vision, hearing, echolocation, pressure, and electroreception.
• Describe mechanisms of marine animal movement by integration of structural mechanics, muscle physiology, kinematics, and fluid mechanics.
• Demonstrate good dissection technique.
• Demonstrate independent thinking through development and presentation of a research project.
• Apply biomechanical analysis.
• Perform data gathering and analysis.
• Describe evolutionary pathways and selective pressures for the development of anatomical systems to function in the marine environment.
• Identify potential design elements from animals for transition to engineered systems using the biomimetic approach.

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