The Marine Mammal Center's hospital and customer center in Sausalito, California, has reopened to the public! E book your go to as we speak! Tickets are free but must be reserved on-line in advance. The phrase "pinniped" means fin- or flipper-footed and refers back to the marine mammals that have front and rear flippers. Thousands and thousands of years ago, the ancestors of pinnipeds lived on land. These have been most likely weasel- or bear-like animals that spent increasingly more time in the ocean and eventually tailored to this marine surroundings. Pinnipeds are separated into three groups: earless seals, eared seals and walruses. This group consists of seals, sea lions and walruses -- animals that stay in the ocean but are able to come on land for long periods of time. Generally referred to as earless seals or true seals, marine mammals within the phocid household can be simply identified by looking at their ears and flippers. They even have small entrance flippers and transfer on land by flopping alongside on their bellies, a movement known as "galumphing." At sea, true seals transfer their rear flippers again and forth like a fish tail to propel themselves through the water. They have ear holes however no external ear flaps. You may acknowledge these animals by their flippers and ears. Sea lions and fur seals are a part of the otariid household and are sometimes known as eared seals. Not like true seals, otariids have exterior ear pooh bear soft toy flaps. Their entrance flippers are large, and on land they are able to deliver all 4 flippers beneath their bodies and stroll on them. Within the water, they swim using their front flippers like oars. They have longer flippers than sea lions, together with a luxuriant coat of fur that was so prized by hunters that it introduced them to the brink of extinction in the nineteenth century. Walruses are in a family of their very own called the odobenids. Fur seals, in spite of having the word “seal” in their title, are literally carefully related to sea lions. They've air sacs in their neck that can inflate to permit them to float as if they are wearing life preservers. Walruses are one in all the biggest pinnipeds, with males reaching over 3,000 pounds. They reside within the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans, in the arctic area. Both males and females have tusks and vacuum-like mouths for sucking up shellfish from the ocean ground. Canadian laws, however limited searching by the Inuit people is allowed. Walruses are protected beneath U.S. The Marine Mammal Middle cares about your privateness. Read our privacy coverage.