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Earless seal

Earless Seals
Scientific classification
Domain:Eukaryota
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Carnivora
Suborder:Pinnipedia
Family:Phocidae
Genera
Cystophora
Erignathus
Halichoerus
Hydrurga
Leptonychotes
Lobodon
Mirounga
Monachus
Ommatophoca
Phoca
The earless seals are one of the two distinct groups of mammals called "seals". They are the members of family Phocidae. They are also called true seals, or crawling seals, to disambiguate them from the fur seals of family Otariidae.

Phocids are the more highly specialized for aquatic life of the two groups and, unlike otariids, lack external ears and cannot bring their hind flippers under their body to walk on them.

They are somewhat more agile in the water than fur seals and sea lions. However, because they cannot turn their hind flippers downward, they are clumsy on land because they have to wriggle with their front flippers and abdominal muscles; this method of locomotion is called gallumphing[?].

See also: Crabeater Seal



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