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Nov 28, 2023 · One of the most obvious ways to distinguish seals from sea lions is by looking at the sides of their head. Sometimes referred to as true seals or “earless” seals, marine mammals in the phocid family, such as harbor seals, have ears and hear very well, but do not have external ear flaps.
Oct 26, 2023 · Seals and sea lions both belong to a group of marine mammals called “pinnipeds”, meaning fin- or feather-footed in Latin. True seals have ear holes, but no ear flaps. Included in this group are species like the Harbour seal, Hawaiian Monk seal, Ringed seal and Harp seal.
Interestingly, they are one of a few seals known as eared seals or fur seals, which distinguish them from true seals. They’re more closely related to sea lions and have external ears and long, powerful front flippers, which allow them to walk on all four limbs.
- Characteristics of Eared Seals and Sea Lions
- Classification
- Otariidae Species List
- Feeding
- Reproduction
- Conservation
- Sources and Further Reading
All of these animals: 1. Are marine mammals. 2. Are in the Infraorder Pinnipedia, making them related to "earless" seals and walruses. 3. Have fur (mostly coarse hairs in sea lions, and a dense underfur in fur seals). 4. Have long front flippers that can be more than one-quarter the length of the animal's body. These flippers are leathery and hairl...
Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataSubphylum: VertebrataSuperclass: GnathostomaCape fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus, includes 2 subspecies, the Cape fur seal, and Australian fur seal)Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella)Subantarctic fur seal Arctocephalus tropicalisNew Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri)Otariids are carnivores and have a diet which varies depending on the species. Common prey items include fish, crustaceans (e.g., krill, lobster), cephalopodsand even birds (e.g., penguins).
Otarrids have distinct breeding grounds and often gather in large groups during the breeding season. Males arrive on the breeding grounds first and establish as large a territory as possible, along with a harem of up to 40 or 50 females. The males defend their territory using vocalizations, visual displays, and by fighting with other males. Females...
Many otariid populations were threatened by harvesting. This started as early as the 1500's when animals were hunted for their fur, skin, blubber, organs or even their whiskers. (Steller sea lion whiskers were used for cleaning opium pipes.) Seals and sea lions have also been hunted because of their perceived threat to fish populations or aquacultu...
Australian Fur Seals. Climate Change. Phillip Island Nature Parks. Accessed January 8, 2014.Berta, A. and Churchill, M. 2013. Otariidae. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species, January 8, 2014Committee on Taxonomy. 2013. List of marine mammal species and subspecies. Society for Marine Mammalogy, www.marinemammalscience.org, January 8, 2014Gentry, R.L. 2009. Eared Seals: . In Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, ed. by W.F. Perrin, B. Wursig, and G.M. Thewissen. pages 340-342.Otariidae200While sea lions and fur seals have external ears, seals just have ear holes. Scientists use this major distinction to refer to species in the family Otariidae as eared seals and Phocidae as earless seals.
Eared seals are a distinct family of pinnipeds that include species commonly referred to as sea lions and fur seals. This family is set apart from true seals (family Phocidae) by the presence of external ear flaps, or pinnae, and their more robust forelimbs.
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Two species (Galápagos fur seal, A. galapagoensis, and sea lion, Z. wollebaeki) live at the equator, and two (South American sea lion, Otaria byronia, and fur seal, A. australis) are found along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of South America and associated islands.
