100 MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC WORLD 



Seals, Sea Lions, and Walruses 

 Order Pinnipedia 



The Pinnipedia are carnivorous mammals adapted to life in 

 the water. Their limbs are modified into flippers and their 

 bodies streamlined; both of these factors aid their aquatic life. 

 The order is divided into three families. The fur seals and sea 

 lions (Otariidse) are characterized by small external ears, hind 

 limbs capable of rotation forward to support the body, and 

 long fore flippers. The structure of the limbs allows them to 

 move on land with less difficulty than the remaining pinnipeds. 

 The hair seals (Phocidse) have no external ear, hind limbs in- 

 capable of forward rotation, and short fore flippers of little 

 use on land. The walruses (Odobenidse) are large, almost hair- 

 less, seal-like mammals with long tusks in the upper jaw, and 

 thick, wrinkled skin. 



Sea Lions and Fur Seals. Family Otariid^ 



The Japanese Sea Lion (Zalophus japonicus) was wrongly 

 described by Temminck in 1850 under the impression that it 

 was Steller's sea lion. This very complete description includes 

 a colored print of the animal and drawings of skulls and skele- 

 tons. It shows distinctly that the animal was smaller than the 

 real Steller's sea lion. The skull characters depicted agree 

 closely with those of the genus Zalophus, to which the Califor- 

 nia sea lion belongs. By some scientists it was thought to be 

 the same animal as the California sea lion but Temminck's de- 

 scription of the external appearance as "straw colored with a 

 darker throat and chest in the female" does not appear to be a 

 good description of a California sea lion. The male was darker. 

 The only known specimens are the series of skulls and skeletons 

 which were described by Temminck and are in the Leiden Mu- 

 seum in Holland, and a single skull now in the British Museum. 

 Additional material is greatly needed before the status of this 

 animal can be assured. 



