What are Pinnipeds?
Seals, Sea lions and Walrus are currently placed in a Sub-order, the Pinnipedia, of the Order Carnivora which also includes the bears, dogs, racoons, weasles (including otters), hyaenas cats, and mongooses. There have many recent studies on the genetic and fossil history of these groups and their place in the scheme of mammalian classifcation may well change in the near future. Three families of living pinnipeds are recognized, the Phocidae (hair seals or true seals), the Otaridae (fur seals and sea lions) and the Odobenidae (walrus). The term pinnipedia translates from Latin as “fin foot”. All of these animals must come ashore to breed, give birth and nurse their young, though some species are at sea for several months at a time while others return to the shore every day.
