The Marine Mammal Middle'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 must be reserved online prematurely. The word "pinniped" means fin- or flipper-footed and refers to the marine mammals that have entrance and rear flippers. Thousands and thousands of years in the past, the ancestors of pinnipeds lived on land. These were most likely weasel- or bear-like animals that spent an increasing number of time in the ocean and eventually tailored to this marine environment. Pinnipeds are separated into three groups: earless seals, eared seals and walruses. This group contains seals, sea lions and walruses -- animals that stay within the ocean however are ready to come back on land for long durations of time. Sometimes referred to as earless seals or true seals, marine mammals within the phocid household might be easily recognized by looking at their ears and flippers. They even have small entrance flippers and transfer on land by flopping alongside on their bellies, a movement known as "galumphing." At sea, true seals move their rear flippers back and forth like a fish tail to propel themselves via the water. They've ear holes but no exterior ear flaps. You'll be able to acknowledge these animals by their flippers and ears. Sea lions and fur seals are weighted teddy a part of the otariid family and are generally known as eared seals. Unlike true seals, otariids have exterior ear flaps. Their entrance flippers are large, and on land they can convey all four flippers beneath their bodies and stroll on them. In the water, they swim utilizing their entrance flippers like oars. They've longer flippers than sea lions, along with a luxuriant coat of fur that was so prized by hunters that it brought them to the brink of extinction in the 19th century. Walruses are in a family of their very own called the odobenids. Fur seals, in spite of having the word “seal” in their title, are literally closely associated to sea lions. They've air sacs in their neck that may inflate to permit them to float as if they are wearing life preservers. Walruses are one of the most important pinnipeds, with males reaching over 3,000 pounds. They dwell within the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans, in the arctic area. Each males and females have tusks and vacuum-like mouths for sucking up shellfish from the ocean flooring. Canadian laws, but restricted searching by the Inuit people is allowed. Walruses are protected below U.S. The Marine Mammal Heart cares about your privateness. Read our privacy coverage.