The Marine Mammal Middle's hospital and customer center in Sausalito, California, has reopened to the public! E-book your go to immediately! Tickets are free but have to be reserved online in advance. The word "pinniped" means fin- or flipper-footed and refers back to the marine mammals which have entrance and rear flippers. Millions of years in the past, the ancestors of pinnipeds lived on land. These were probably weasel- or bear-like animals that spent more and more time in the ocean and eventually adapted to this marine setting. Pinnipeds are separated into three teams: earless seals, eared seals and walruses. This group contains seals, sea lions and walruses -- animals that reside in the ocean but are able to return on land for lengthy durations of time. Sometimes known as earless seals or true seals, marine mammals within the phocid family may be simply recognized by looking at their ears and flippers. They even have small front flippers and transfer on land by flopping along on their bellies, a motion known as "galumphing." At sea, true seals move their rear flippers again and forth like a fish tail to propel themselves through the water. They have ear holes but no external ear flaps. You can acknowledge these pooh bear soft toy animals by their flippers and ears. Sea lions and fur seals are a part of the otariid household and are generally known as eared seals. Not like true seals, otariids have external ear flaps. Their entrance flippers are massive, and on land they are able to bring all 4 flippers beneath their our bodies and stroll on them. Within the water, they swim utilizing 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 own referred to as the odobenids. Fur seals, in spite of having the word “seal” in their name, are literally carefully related to sea lions. They have air sacs in their neck that can inflate to allow them to float as if they're sporting life preservers. Walruses are one of the biggest pinnipeds, with males reaching over 3,000 pounds. They reside in the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans, in the arctic region. Each males and females have tusks and vacuum-like mouths for sucking up shellfish from the ocean floor. Canadian laws, but restricted looking by the Inuit people is allowed. Walruses are protected under U.S. The Marine Mammal Middle cares about your privacy. Read our privacy policy.