The Marine Mammal Middle's hospital and customer heart in Sausalito, California, has reopened to the general public! Guide your visit in the present day! Tickets are free however have to be reserved on-line in advance. The word "pinniped" means fin- or flipper-footed and refers to the marine mammals which have front and rear flippers. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, the ancestors of pinnipeds lived on land. These have been in all probability weasel- or bear-like animals that spent more and more time in the ocean and finally adapted 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 stay in the ocean however are able to come on land for long periods of time. Typically known as earless seals or true seals, marine mammals in the phocid household may be simply identified by looking at their ears and flippers. They also have small front flippers and transfer on land by flopping along on their bellies, a motion known as "galumphing." At sea, true seals transfer their rear flippers again and forth like a fish tail to propel themselves via the water. They've ear holes however no external ear flaps. You may acknowledge these animals by their flippers and ears. Sea lions and fur seals are a part of the otariid family and are generally known as eared seals. In contrast to true seals, otariids have external ear flaps. Their front flippers are massive, and on land they are able to convey all four flippers beneath their bodies and stroll on them. Within the water, they swim using 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 introduced them to the brink of extinction in the 19th century. Walruses are in a family of their very own called the odobenids. pooh bear soft toy Fur seals, in spite of getting the phrase “seal” in their title, are literally intently associated to sea lions. They've air sacs of their neck that can inflate to permit them to float as if they are sporting life preservers. Walruses are considered one of the most important pinnipeds, with males reaching over 3,000 pounds. They stay within 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 floor. Canadian laws, but limited looking by the Inuit individuals is allowed. Walruses are protected beneath U.S. The Marine Mammal Center cares about your privateness. Learn our privateness policy.