Earless Seals
Grey seal
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Suborder: Pinnipedia Family: Phocidae Gray, 1821
Genera
Monachus (Monk Seals) Mirounga (Elephant Seal) Lobodon (Crabeater Seals) Leptonychotes Hydrurga (Leopard Seals) Ommatophoca Erignathus (Bearded Seals) Phoca Halichoerus (Grey Seals) Cystophora (Hooded Seals) Grey Seal bottling, off Lundy, UK Photograph taken by Stephen Lea off the north coast of Lundy Island (bottom of Trinity House steps) on 11th April 2003 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Animalia redirects here. ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Subclasses Allotheria* Order Multituberculata (extinct) Order Volaticotheria (extinct) Order Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Order Triconodonta (extinct) Prototheria Order Monotremata Theria Infraclass Marsupialia Infraclass Eutheria The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals characterized by the production of milk in females for the nourishment of young, from mammary glands present on most species... Families 17, See classification The diverse order Carnivora IPA: (from Latin carō (stem carn-) flesh, + vorāre to devour) includes over 260 placental mammals. ... Families Odobenidae Otariidae Phocidae Pinnipeds (fin-feet, lit. ... John Edward Gray. ... Monk seals Categories: Animal stubs ... Two adolescent seals at the Piedras Blancas seal sanctuary near San Simeon, California. ... Binomial name Lobodon carcinophagus Hombron & Jacquinot, 1842 The Crabeater Seal, Lobodon carcinophagus, is one of the most remarkable, though least known, of the mammals of the world. ... Binomial name Leptonychotes weddellii (Lesson, 1826) The Weddell Seal (Leptonychotes weddellii), a true seal, is named after Sir James Weddell, commander of British sealing expeditions in the Weddell Sea. ... Binomial name Hydrurga leptonyx (Blainville, 1820) The Leopard Seal Hydrurga leptonyx is a true seal belonging to the family Phocidae. ... Binomial name Ommatophoca rossii (Gray, 1844) The Ross Seal (Ommatophoca rossii) is a carnivorous seal of the family Phocidae and only species of the genus Ommatophoca. ... Binomial name Erignathus barbatus Erxleben, 1777 The bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus) is a medium-sized seal that is found in and near to the Arctic Ocean. ... Species Phoca caspica(Caspian Seal) Phoca fasciata(Ribbon Seal) Phoca groenlandica(Harp Seal) Phoca hispida(Ringed Seal) Phoca largha(Spotted Seal) Phoca sibirica(Nerpaor Baikal Seal) Phoca vitulina(Common Seal) Phoca is a genus of the earless seals, within the Family Phocidae. ... Binomial name Halichoerus grypus (Fabricius, 1791) The Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus) is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. ... Binomial name Cystophora christata (Erxleben, 1777) The hooded seal (Cystophora christata) is an arctic seal, which is named after a cap-like bulge essay on forehead and nose of the male that doesn’t hang down as with the elephant seal. ...

The true seals or earless seals are one of the three main groups of mammals within the seal suborder, Pinnipedia. All true seals are members of the family Phocidae. They are sometimes called crawling seals, to distinguish them from the fur seals and sea lions of family Otariidae. Subclasses Allotheria* Order Multituberculata (extinct) Order Volaticotheria (extinct) Order Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Order Triconodonta (extinct) Prototheria Order Monotremata Theria Infraclass Marsupialia Infraclass Eutheria The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals characterized by the production of milk in females for the nourishment of young, from mammary glands present on most species... Scientific classification or biological classification refers to how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Families Odobenidae Otariidae Phocidae Pinnipeds (fin-feet, lit. ... Genera Callorhinus Arctocephalus Fur seals make up one of the two distinct groups of mammals called seals. Both the fur seals and the true seals are members of the Pinnipedia, which is usually regarded as a suborder of the order Carnivora but sometimes as an independent order. ... Genera Eumetopias Zalophus Otaria Neophoca Phocarctos Hundreds of California Sea Lions sunbathing on Pier 39 in San Francisco. ...

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. Genera Monachus (Monk Seals) Mirounga (Elephant Seal) Lobodon (Crabeater Seals) Leptonychotes Hydrurga (Leopard Seals) Ommatophoca Erignathus (Bearded Seals) Phoca Halichoerus (Gray Seals) Cystophora (Hooded Seals) The true seals or earless seals are one of the three main groups of mammals within the seal suborder, Pinnipedia. ...

They are more streamlined than fur seals and sea lions, and can therefore swim more effectively over long distances than those can. However, because they cannot turn their hind flippers downward, they are very clumsy on land, having to wriggle with their front flippers and abdominal muscles; this method of locomotion is called galumphing. Genera Callorhinus Arctocephalus Fur seals make up one of the two distinct groups of mammals called seals. Both the fur seals and the true seals are members of the Pinnipedia, which is usually regarded as a suborder of the order Carnivora but sometimes as an independent order. ... Genera Eumetopias Zalophus Otaria Neophoca Phocarctos Hundreds of California Sea Lions sunbathing on Pier 39 in San Francisco. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Additionally, true seals do not communicate by "barking" like the fur seals and sea lions of family Otariidae. They communicate by slapping the water and grunting. Genera Callorhinus Arctocephalus Fur seals make up one of the two distinct groups of mammals called seals. Both the fur seals and the true seals are members of the Pinnipedia, which is usually regarded as a suborder of the order Carnivora but sometimes as an independent order. ... Genera Eumetopias Zalophus Otaria Neophoca Phocarctos Hundreds of California Sea Lions sunbathing on Pier 39 in San Francisco. ...

Feeding and reproduction

Earless Seal in Argentina

While otariids are built for speed and maneuverability in the water, phocids are built for efficient, economical movement. This allows most phocids to make long foraging trips to exploit prey resources that are far from land, whereas otariids are tied to rich upwelling zones close to their breeding sites. The phocid reproductive cycle is characterized by temporal and spatial separation between feeding and maternal investment; in other words, a pregnant female spends a long period of time foraging at sea, building up her fat reserves, and then returns to the breeding site and uses her stored energy reserves to provide milk for her pup. It should be noted that the common seal (harbor seal in the U.S.), Phoca vitulina, does not separate foraging and maternal investment; instead, it displays a reproductive strategy similar to those of otariids, in which the mother makes short foraging trips between nursing bouts. Earless seals from Puerto Madryn, Argentina. ... Earless seals from Puerto Madryn, Argentina. ... Upwelling is an oceanographic phenomenon that involves wind-driven motion of dense, cooler, and usually nutrient-rich water towards the ocean surface, replacing the warmer, usually nutrient-deplete surface water. ... Binomial name bobbi Linnaeus,, 1758 Common or Harbour Seals (Phoca vitulina) are true seals of the Northern Hemisphere. ... Binomial name Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1758 The Harbor Seal or Common seal (Phoca vitulina) is a true seal of the Northern Hemisphere. ...

Because a phocid mother's feeding grounds are often hundreds of kilometers from the breeding site, this means that she must fast while she is lactating. This combination of fasting with lactation is one of the most unusual and extraordinary behaviors displayed by the Phocidae, because it requires the mother seal to provide large amounts of energy to her pup at a time when she herself is taking in no food (and often, no water) to replenish her stores. Because they must continue to burn fat reserves to supply their own metabolic needs while they are feeding their pups, phocid seals have developed an extremely thick, fat-rich milk that allows them to provide their pups with a large amount of energy in as small a period of time as possible. This allows the mother seal to maximize the efficiency of her energy transfer to the pup and then quickly return to sea to replenish her reserves. The length of lactation in phocids ranges from 28 days in the Northern Elephant Seal to just 3–5 days in the Hooded Seal. The nursing period is ended by the mother, who departs to sea and leaves her pup at the breeding site. Pups will continue to nurse if given the opportunity, and "milk stealers" that suckle from unrelated, sleeping females are not uncommon; this often results in the death of the pup whose mother the milk was stolen from, as any single female can only produce enough milk to provision one pup. Binomial name Mirounga angustirostris (Gill, 1866) The Northern Elephant Seal (Mirounga angustirostris) is one of two species of elephant seal (the other is the Southern Elephant Seal). ... Binomial name Cystophora christata (Erxleben, 1777) The hooded seal (Cystophora christata) is an arctic seal, which is named after a cap-like bulge essay on forehead and nose of the male that doesn’t hang down as with the elephant seal. ...

Because the pup receives the milk energy from its mother so quickly, its development is typically not complete enough for it to begin foraging on its own as soon as the nursing period is complete. Seals, like all marine mammals, need time to develop the oxygen stores, swimming muscles and neural pathways necessary for effective diving and foraging. Because of this, most phocids undergo a postweaning fast, in which they remain on or near the breeding site and live off of the fat stores they acquired from their mothers until they are ready to begin foraging on their own. These pups typically eat no food and drink no water during the fast, although some polar species have been observed to eat snow. The postweaning fast ranges from 2 weeks in the Hooded Seal to 9-12 weeks in the Northern Elephant Seal. The physiological and behavioral adaptations that allow phocid pups to endure these remarkable fasts, which are among the longest for any mammal, remain an area of active study and research. booyaakashaa ewwwwww thats digusting nooooooooooooooooooooooob Binomial name Cystophora christata (Erxleben, 1777) The hooded seal (Cystophora christata) is an arctic seal, which is named after a cap-like bulge essay on forehead and nose of the male that doesn’t hang down as with the elephant seal. ...

Classification

SUBORDER PINNIPEDIA Families Odobenidae Otariidae Phocidae Pinnipeds (fin-feet, lit. ...

• Family Otariidae: fur seals and sea lions
• Family Odobenidae: Walrus
• Family Phocidae
  • Subfamily Monachinae
    • Tribe Monachini
      • Monachopsis (extinct)
      • Pristiphoca (extinct)
      • Properiptychus (extinct)
      • Messiphoca (extinct)
      • Mesotaria (extinct)
      • Callophoca (extinct)
      • Pliophoca (extinct)
      • Pontophoca (extinct)
      • Hawaiian Monk Seal, Monachus schauinslandi
      • Mediterranean Monk Seal, Monachus monachus
      • Caribbean Monk Seal, Monachus tropicalis (probably extinct around 1950)
    • Tribe Miroungini
      • Northern Elephant Seal, Mirounga angustirostris
      • Southern Elephant Seal, Mirounga leonina
    • Tribe Lobodontini
      • Monotherium wymani (extinct)
      • Ross Seal, Ommatophoca rossi
      • Crabeater Seal, Lobodon carcinophagus
      • Leopard Seal, Hydrurga leptonyx
      • Weddell Seal, Leptonychotes weddellii
    • Swan-necked Seal, Acrophoca longirostris (extinct)
    • Piscophoca pacifica (extinct)
    • Homiphoca capensis (extinct)
  • Subfamily Phocinae
    • Kawas benegasorum (extinct)
    • Leptophoca lenis (extinct)
    • Preapusa (extinct)
    • Cryptophoca (extinct)
    • Bearded Seal, Erignathus barbatus
    • Hooded Seal, Cystophora cristata
    • Tribe Phocini
      • Common Seal or Harbor Seal, Phoca vitulina
      • Spotted Seal or Larga Seal, Phoca largha
      • Ringed Seal, Phoca hispida
      • Nerpa or Baikal Seal, Phoca sibirica
      • Caspian Seal, Phoca caspica
      • Harp Seal, Phoca groenlandica (or Pagophilus groenlandicus)
      • Ribbon Seal, Phoca fasciata
      • Phocanella (extinct)
      • Platyphoca (extinct)
      • Gryphoca (extinct)
      • Grey Seal, Halichoerus grypus

Binomial name Odobenus rosmarus (Linnaeus, 1758) Subspecies Walruses are large semi-aquatic mammals that live in the cold Arctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. ... Binomial name Monachus schauinslandi Matschie, 1905 The Hawaiian Monk Seal (Monachus schauinslandi) in the Family Phocidae, is an endangered marine mammal that is endemic to the warm, clear waters of the Hawaiian Islands. ... Binomial name Monachus monachus (Hermann, 1779) Mediterranean Monk Seal range The Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus) is believed to be the worlds rarest pinniped and one of the most endangered mammals of the world. ... Binomial name Monachus tropicalis (Gray, 1850) The Caribbean Monk Seal or West Indian Monk Seal (Monachus tropicalis), the only seal ever known to be native to the Caribbean sea and the Gulf of Mexico, is now considered extinct. ... Binomial name Mirounga angustirostris (Gill, 1866) The Northern Elephant Seal (Mirounga angustirostris) is one of two species of elephant seal (the other is the Southern Elephant Seal). ... Binomial name Mirounga leonina Linnaeus, 1758 The Southern Elephant Seal (Mirounga leonina) is one of two species of elephant seal (the other is the Northern Elephant Seal). ... Binomial name Ommatophoca rossii (Gray, 1844) The Ross Seal (Ommatophoca rossii) is a carnivorous seal of the family Phocidae and only species of the genus Ommatophoca. ... Binomial name Lobodon carcinophagus Hombron & Jacquinot, 1842 The Crabeater Seal, Lobodon carcinophagus, is one of the most remarkable, though least known, of the mammals of the world. ... Binomial name Hydrurga leptonyx (Blainville, 1820) The Leopard Seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) is one of the true seals belonging to the family Phocidae. ... Binomial name Leptonychotes weddellii (Lesson, 1826) The Weddell Seal (Leptonychotes weddellii), a true seal, is named after Sir James Weddell, commander of British sealing expeditions in the Weddell Sea. ... Binomial name Acrophoca longirostris Muizon, 1981 Acrophoca longirostris is an extinct species of pinniped. ... Binomial name Erignathus barbatus Erxleben, 1777 The bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus) is a medium-sized seal that is found in and near to the Arctic Ocean. ... Binomial name Cystophora christata (Erxleben, 1777) The hooded seal (Cystophora christata) is an arctic seal, which is named after a cap-like bulge essay on forehead and nose of the male that doesn’t hang down as with the elephant seal. ... Binomial name bobbi Linnaeus,, 1758 Common or Harbour Seals (Phoca vitulina) are true seals of the Northern Hemisphere. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Binomial name Pusa hispida (Schreber, 1775) The Ringed Seal or Jar Seal (Pusa hispida formerly Phoca hispida) is an earless seal inhabiting the Arctic coasts. ... Binomial name Phoca sibirica Gmelin, 1788 The Nerpa or Baikal Seal (Phoca sibirica) is a species of earless seal endemic to Lake Baikal, a huge freshwater lake in Siberia near the border with Mongolia). ... Binomial name Phoca caspica (Gmelin, 1788) Caspian seals (Phoca caspica), one of the smallest members of the true seal family, are unique in that they are found exclusively in the saline Caspian Sea. ... {{Taxobox | color = pink | name = Harp Seal | status = LR/lc | status_ref = [1] | image = Phoca groenlandica. ... Binomial name Phoca fasciata , The Ribbon Seal (Phoca fasciata) is a seal from the family Phocidae. ... Binomial name Halichoerus grypus (Fabricius, 1791) Grey Seal range (in blue) The Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus) is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. ...

External links

• Elephant Seal Research Group - http://www.eleseal.it

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Phocidae