GUWS Medical

Eared seals fur seals and sea lions

(Otariidae)

Class Mammalia Order Carnivora Suborder Pinnipedia Family Otariidae

Thumbnail description

Medium- to large-sized pinnipeds that have large front flippers for underwater propulsion, a doglike head, and the ability to walk or run on all fours on land

Size

Males range from 154 lb (70 kg) (Galápagos fur seal) to 2,469 lb (1,120 kg) (Steller sea lion); females range from 77 lb (35 kg) (Galápagos fur seal) to 772 lb (350 kg) (Steller sea lion); neonates range from 11 to 51 lb (5-23 kg)

Number of genera, species

7 genera; 15 species

Habitat

Feed in coastal or deep ocean areas, and they breed on sandy and rocky substrate, mostly on islands

Conservation status

Endangered: 1 species; Vulnerable: 5 species

Distribution

Bering Sea, north and south Pacific Oceans, south Atlantic Ocean, southern Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean; they occupy subpolar, temperate, and equatorial waters

Distribution

Bering Sea, north and south Pacific Oceans, south Atlantic Ocean, southern Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean; they occupy subpolar, temperate, and equatorial waters