The Marine Mammal Heart's hospital and customer middle in Sausalito, California, has reopened to the general public! E-book your go to at this time! Tickets are free however should be reserved on-line in advance. The word "pinniped" means fin- or flipper-footed and refers to the marine mammals that have front and rear flippers. Thousands and thousands of years in the past, the ancestors of pinnipeds lived on land. These were probably weasel- or bear-like animals big teddy bear online that spent more and more time within the ocean and eventually tailored to this marine environment. Pinnipeds are separated into three groups: earless seals, eared seals and walruses. This group includes seals, sea lions and walruses -- animals that reside within the ocean but are ready to come back on land for long durations of time. Typically known as earless seals or true seals, marine mammals in the phocid family could be easily recognized by looking at their ears and flippers. They even have small front flippers and transfer on land by flopping alongside on their bellies, a movement called "galumphing." At sea, true seals move their rear flippers again and forth like a fish tail to propel themselves via the water. They've ear holes but no external ear flaps. You'll be able to acknowledge these animals by their flippers and ears. Sea lions and fur seals are part of the otariid family and are generally referred to as eared seals. Unlike true seals, otariids have external ear flaps. Their entrance flippers are giant, and on land they are able to bring all 4 flippers beneath their bodies and stroll on them. In the water, they swim using their entrance flippers like oars. They've longer flippers than sea lions, together with a luxuriant coat of fur that was so prized by hunters that it introduced them to the brink of extinction within the nineteenth century. Walruses are in a household of their own called the odobenids. Fur seals, in spite of having the word “seal” in their identify, are literally closely related to sea lions. They've air sacs in their neck that can inflate to permit them to float as if they're sporting life preservers. Walruses are certainly one of the biggest pinnipeds, with males reaching over 3,000 pounds. They dwell in the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans, in the arctic region. Both males and females have tusks and vacuum-like mouths for sucking up shellfish from the ocean flooring. Canadian legal guidelines, however restricted looking by the Inuit people is allowed. Walruses are protected beneath U.S. The Marine Mammal Middle cares about your privacy. Learn our privateness policy.