An eared seal, otariid, or otary is any member of the marine mammal family Otariidae, one of three groupings of pinnipeds. They comprise 15 extant species in seven genera (another species became extinct in the 1950s) and are commonly known either as sea lions or fur seals, distinct from true seals (phocids) and the walrus (odobenids).

Otarioidea is a superfamily of pinnipeds that includes the families Odobenidae, Otariidae and their stem-relatives. [1][2] In the past when the pinnipeds were considered to be a polyphyletic group of marine mammals, a few points of cranial and dental morphology suggested that the otarioids originated from a line of bears. [3] .

Jan 8, 2014 · Find fascinating facts about the otariids - the eared seals and sea lions. Learn where otariids live, what they eat, and how they reproduce.

Otariids tend to be highly social, forming large herds during the breeding season. Within these herds, individual males maintain harems. Males arrive on the breeding grounds before females and set up territories, which they defend aggressively.

Eared seal is the common name for any of the marine mammals comprising the pinniped family Otariidae, characterized by presence of a pinna (external part of ear), the ability to invert their hind-flippers under the body, aiding land movement, and a swimming motion using their long front flippers to propel them through the water.

Otariids are not perfectly separable into sea lions and fur seals; the Afro-Australian fur seal is intermediate between the two in behavior and anatomy. All eared seals are sexually dimorphic.

Jan 1, 2009 · Otariids are quick, graceful swimmers that can leap free of the water and “porpoise” to breathe while swimming fast. They can execute a forward somersault while surfing. Laboratory tests have also shown that otariids have well-developed cognitive abilities.

Otariids, eared seals, have streamlined, smooth, bodies that allow them to move easily through water. A layer of blubber, or fat, provides insulation. The dog-like head has small external flaps for ears.

Jan 1, 2018 · Eared seals, or the Otariidae, belong to one of three pinniped groupings (the other two being the phocids (true seals) and the odobenids (walrus). They comprise 16 extant species within seven genera and are commonly known either as …

An eared seal or otariid or otary is any member of the marine mammal family Otariidae, one of three groupings of pinnipeds. They comprise 15 extant species in seven genera (another species became extinct in the 1950s) and are commonly known either as sea lions or fur seals, distinct from true seals (phocids) and the walrus (odobenids).