Search results
- Even though all seals and sea lions are descended from a common ancestor, they use two radically different modes of propulsion: true seals (phocids) swim with their feet; fur seals and sea lions (otariids) rely on their wing-like forelimbs.
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.
May 6, 2021 · Even though all seals and sea lions are descended from a common ancestor, they use two radically different modes of propulsion: true seals (phocids) swim with their feet; fur seals and...
- David Hocking
Jun 29, 2018 · When sea lions swim, they propel themselves through the water using their front flippers. Seals, on the other hand, build speed with their rear flippers and by moving their lower body side-to-side in a sculling motion.
Sea lions are the only aquatic mammals that swim this way. Seals, walruses, whales, otters, and others rely on the back end of their bodies—their tail—to produce thrust. Instead, the sea lion tail is used like a rudder. By using their front flippers, sea lions are easily the fastest group of pinnipeds.
Aug 12, 2024 · Seals and sea lions are both pinnipeds, but they have distinct characteristics that set them apart. Learn how to recognize a seal vs. a sea lion. Seals and sea lions, along with walruses, belong to a group of marine mammals called “pinnipeds.”
Most swimmers—from the tuna fish to the sea lion’s cousin, the seal—generate thrust with the back ends of their bodies, using their tails to propel themselves through water. But sea lions use their fore-flippers.
Sea lions can move easily on land, but are not as aquadynamic as seals, because their back flippers do not rotate, and they cannot use them as fins like seals do. However, sea lions can swim quickly, and are capable of reaching speeds such as 21.6 kph, but they prefer to cruise at much slower speeds.
