Pinnipeds , commonly known as seals, are a widely distributed and diverse clade of carnivorous, fin-footed, semiaquatic, mostly marine mammals. They comprise the extant families Odobenidae (whose only living member is the See more

Taxonomy
The German naturalist Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger was the first to recognize the pinnipeds as a distinct See more

Pinnipeds have streamlined, spindle-shaped bodies with reduced or non-existent external ear flaps, rounded heads, flexible necks, limbs modified into flippers, and small tails. Pinniped skulls have large eye orbits, short snouts and a constricted interorbital region. … See more

Cultural depictions
Various human cultures have for millennia depicted pinnipeds. The anthropologist, A. Asbjørn Jøn, has … See more

The name "pinniped" derives from the Latin words pinna "fin" and pes, pedis "foot". The common name "seal" originates from the See more

Living pinnipeds mainly inhabit polar and subpolar regions, particularly the North Atlantic, the North Pacific and the Southern Ocean. They are entirely absent from Indomalayan waters. … See more

Pinnipeds have an amphibious lifestyle; they spend most of their lives in the water, but haul out to mate, raise young, molt, rest, thermoregulate or escape from aquatic predators. Several species are known to migrate vast distances, particularly in response to … See more