Search results
flickr.com
- While there are many differences among the species, all seals have feet shaped like fins. In fact, the word pinniped means "fin-footed" in Latin. Those fin-shaped feet make them supreme swimmers, and all pinnipeds are considered semi-aquatic marine mammals.
www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/seals-pinnipeds-walruses-sea-lions
Oct 12, 2017 · Seals are a diverse group of semi-aquatic mammals in the Order Carnivora. The size of seals ranges from 3 feet 3 inches for the Balkan seal to 16 feet for the southern elephant seal which ranks as the largest carnivoran.
- Joyce Chepkemoi
- They have been around for a long time. Fossil records indicate that the ancestors of modern seals first entered the ocean on the west coast, about 28–30 million years ago.
- There are three different major types of pinnipeds. “Phocid seals” are also called “true seals” and include several species such as harbor seals and gray seals.
- They have whiskers they use like cats do. Seals and sea lions have many well-developed whiskers, much like cats. Like cats, they have a very acute sense of touch.
- They can go for long periods of time without eating. A seal’s body stores enough fat in the blubber layer to allow the animal to go for extended periods of time without eating.
Seals are a semi-aquatic species, also commonly referred to as pinnipeds. There are three general categories of seals, classified as Phocidae, consisting of the true seals, Otariidae, consisting of fur seals and sea lions, and Odobenidae, which currently includes only walruses.
- Mammalia
- Chordata
- Carnivora
Those fin-shaped feet make them supreme swimmers, and all pinnipeds are considered semi-aquatic marine mammals. This means they must spend some part of their lives on land or sea ice,...
- Seals Are Related to Bears, Skunks, and Badgers. Evolutionary biologists have been arguing over seals' origins for more than a century. While relatively sure that pinnipeds evolved from land-dwelling carnivores, scientists are divided on the precise steps that occurred between terrestrial ancestors and modern marine mammals.
- "Earless" True Seals Actually Do Have Ears. Seals' ability to hear can vary between species. "Earless" seals lack an external ear flap, present on fur seals and sea lions, but they still have ears present beneath the surface of the skin.
- The Largest Seal Weighs More Than Four Tons. A male southern elephant seal has an average weight of 8,000 pounds while females are much smaller. This drastically contrasts the smallest seal in the family of otariids, the Galapagos fur seal, which ranges between 60 to 140 pounds on average.
- Mothers and Pups Bond With a Unique Call. Researchers performed vocalization playback experiments on 18 breeding female harbor seals to assess their abilities to recognize calls of their pup and to evaluate the effect of maternal protectiveness.
Dec 7, 2023 · Seals are semi-aquatic marine mammals belonging to the Pinnipedia suborder under the order Carnivora. They are spread across three families and consist of 33 species. The Phocidae family, also known as the true or earless seals, is one such group. It covers species like the hooded seal and leopard seal.
Sep 10, 2021 · Habitat: All pinniped species are considered semi-aquatic marine mammals that spend some of their time at sea and the other part of their lives on land or sea ice. Many species are found in...
