General characteristics of a good article about marine mammals

from Wikipedia:WikiProject Animals/Article template

I have added notes within each section that are specific to marine mammals

For species, the taxobox template might be: Taxobox template

Anatomy and morphology

Sometimes "Anatomy and physiology" or "Description". For whales, this often includes a description of their size. Diving adaptions, breathing, and thermoregulation might also be discussed here.

Ecology and behavior

Alternately, this can be "Behaviour and life history" and can include the following sections ("Diet" and "Reproduction"). Social structure and vocalizations can be discussed here, as can intelligence. "Ecology" is frequently a separate section.

Diet

Few of the existing marine mammal FAs or GAs include a separate section on diet - most seem to discuss it Behaviour or Ecology

Reproduction

Again, this seems to frequently be discussed as a subsection of Behaviour.

Etymology

Only included when there's something noteworthy to say about it. I'm actually surprised to see it so far down in the article outline - in my experience it's usually one of the first sections.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Again, I'm surprised to see this quite this far down in their recommended outline - it's usually one of the first sections in existing FAs and GAs.

Distribution

Sometimes included under "Ecology"

Conservation status

Existing FAs and GAs often "Human relations"/"Interactions with humans"/"Relationships with humans" section. Things like hunting and conservation are often discussed here. In addition, subsections can include "Cultural depictions", "In captivity", "Zoos and aquariums" and "Whale watching".

References

Categories should be defined near the end of the article.

Please include a direct parent category in the taxonomy whenever possible; for a species, the family is likely an available category. For a family, the order is probably available.

See the subcategories under Category:Animals); most of the subcategories listed there have lower-level subcategories that may fit better. Multiple categories may be relevant.

Examples

from Wikipedia:WikiProject Mammals/Assessment

User:Ian (Wiki Ed)/notes/marine mammals

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