How many species of Phocidae are there?
19 species
There are 19 species in this family. Most seal species are found in the Arctic and Antarctica, but seals are also found along coastlines around the world from the North Pole south to 30 degrees north latitude and from Antarctica north to 50 degrees south latitude.
Is a sea lion a pinniped?
Seals, sea lions, and walruses belong to a group of marine mammals called pinnipeds, referring to their flippered feet.
What is a Phocid?
Zoology. A seal of the family Phocidae, which originally comprised the seals together with the walruses but is now restricted to the true or earless seals; an earless seal.
Where do pinnipeds breed?
Most males mate with multiple females, but some pinnipeds are monogamous. Mating and birth occur on coastal land or ice or on ice floes.
Is a penguin a pinniped?
Although pinnipeds are widespread, most species prefer the colder waters of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. They feed largely on fish and marine invertebrates; a few, such as the leopard seal, feed on large vertebrates, such as penguins and other seals.
Is a polar bear a pinniped?
Two Alaska marine mammals are neither pinniped nor cetacean: the polar bear and sea otter. They are both fissipeds, “split-footed” members of the order Carnivora, and are more closely related to terrestrial carnivores, like weasels, than seals or whales.
Where are phocidae found?
Phocids are broadly distributed along coastlines above 30 degrees N latitude and south of 50 degree S latitude. Some species are also found at intermediate tropical localities, and in a few freshwater lakes and rivers.
What are the 3 families of pinnipeds?
Pinnipeds are separated into three groups: earless seals, eared seals and walruses. Sometimes referred to as earless seals or true seals, marine mammals in the phocid family can be easily identified by looking at their ears and flippers.
How do pinnipeds sleep?
They sleep in water while holding their breath and floating motionlessly at the surface or at depth. They always wake up to initiate movement to surface for breathing. Therefore, bilateral SWS is incompatible with movement in the Phocidae seals and likely in the walrus, as in terrestrial mammals.