What is the difference between seals and sea lions?
The scientific name for seals, sea lions, and walruses is Pinnipedia. Its Latin root means “fin-footed” and refers to the modification of limbs to flippers. Pinnipeds have four flippers one pair in front and one pair in back. Pinnipeds share five common characteristics with other mammals: they re warm-blooded, give birth, nurse their young, breathe air, and have hair. Since they live in the marine environment and they find their food at sea, pinnipeds are called marine mammals. Other marine mammals include whales and sea otters. Although they spend most of their lives in the water, pinnipeds, unlike whales and dolphins, are also dependent upon land. Pinnipeds may come ashore periodically to rest and bask in the sun, and at least once a year, during their breeding season, most species congregate on beaches to give birth and to breed. Seals: Seals are smaller and have a sleeker, torpedo type of shape. They move with a rhythmic sliding or shuffling motion, and they don t use their flipper
