Zhc Seals or fin*tfooteb Bnimals. 



FIFTH ORDER: Pinnipedia. 



N THE Seals we see inhab- 

 itants of the sea, which, 

 unlike the Whales, appear 

 to be mammals even to 

 the uninitiated. Though 

 essentially aquatic, they 

 possess four legs, which 

 are distinctly outlined 

 and not joined for their 

 entire length to the body, 

 as in the Whale, although 

 their motion is of a trail- 

 ing character, and the feet 

 show the gradation of fin- 

 gers and toes with some distinctness. With most 

 of the Seals the toes are perfectly mobile and con- 

 nected only by webs, but with a few they are entirely 

 enveloped in the skin of the body and immovable, 

 but may, nevertheless, be usually recognized by the 

 little nails, which are fastened externally. There is 

 nothing that should strike us as absolutely strange 

 about these animals except the feet. The structure 

 of the toes is different from that of any animals we 

 have so far considered: the middle toe is no more 

 the longest and strongest, but all the toes are of 

 practically identical conformation. Though the 

 bodily structure of the Seals differs notably from 

 that of all other mammals which we have so far dis- 

 cussed, in other respects comparison may still be 

 drawn between it and that of the beasts of prey — 

 especially the Otter and the Bear — with a fair degree 

 of ease, and some naturalists, who class the Seals 

 among the beasts of prey, are therefore justified in 

 doing so. The head is comparatively small, toler- 

 ably distinct from the neck and resembles that of 

 the Otter or the Bear. The nose is provided with 

 oblique, slit-like nostrils, which may be closed; the 

 eye is large and furnished with a lid, the outer ear 

 may be closed, and is developed to an appreciable 

 extent only in one species, the other Seals lacking 

 an ear-conch. The short, thick neck merges imme- 

 diately into the body, the shape of which is more 

 or less cylindrical and gradually tapers to the but- 

 tocks, while the tail has deteriorated into a stub. 

 The thick, firm skin is, for the greater part, covered 

 only with a plain outer fur of uniform length, which 

 sometimes is elongated into a mane, or there may 

 be a somewhat thick, woolly inner fur. The teeth 

 and the inner structure show a distinct character of 

 their own, in spite of the manifold resemblance to 

 the- respective parts of the beasts of prey. 



The vertebral column resembles that of the Carni- 

 vora; the cervical vertebra are distinct and furnished 

 with well-developed processes. There are fourteen 

 or fifteen dorsal and five or six lumbar vertebrae; 

 from two to seven united vertebras form the sacrum, 

 and from nine to fifteen go to the tail. The clavicles 

 are absent. The bones of the limbs are very short ; 

 the bones of the fore-arm and leg are always 



separate, the wrist and ankle-joints are of regular 

 formation. 



Wide Distribu- The Seals are distributed over all 

 tion of the the oceans of the globe, inhabiting 

 Seals. the higher south as well as the 



north, and are even found in great inland Asiatic 

 lakes, into which they have either penetrated by way 

 of the rivers flowing from them, or in which they 

 have been left, when the means of communication 

 by water with the greater ocean were shut off. The 

 north exhibits the most species, the south is stocked 

 with those that are most striking in appearance. 

 Usually Seals delight in the proximity of a coast, 

 and many undertake wanderings from one locality 

 to another, and also often go up rivers. 



Seals on the They live on the mainland only on 



Ground and in special occasions, namely, during the 

 the Water. breeding season and in their earliest 

 youth; and the water is their proper element. Seen 

 on the ground they strike, one as very helpless 

 creatures, but in the water they proceed with the 

 greatest ease. It is with difficulty that they climb 

 rocks from the beach or drifting ice, and then they 

 comfortably stretch themselves on the firm ground 

 and bask in the sun; at the sound of danger, they 

 seek the friendly depth of the ocean with all pos- 

 sible despatch. They swim and dive in a masterly 

 way. It matters not to them, whether the upper 

 surface of their body lies upward or downward; they 

 are even able to move backward, as I can vouch for 

 from my own experience. In the water they can 

 turn about in any direction, and change their loca- 

 tion with the greatest agility. 



Haacke's Haacke writes: "We are moved to 



Observations involuntary admiration when we ob- 

 of Seals. serve Seals engaged in fishing. At 

 the Frankfort Aquarium, from the dark space re- 

 served for visitors, one may observe the Seals under 

 glass in a spacious tank, hunting live fish for their 

 sustenance. It is astonishing to note the accuracy 

 and speed with which they conform to every rapid 

 movement of the fish and anxiously dart through 

 the water, every movement and turn of each flipper 

 of the Seals being to the purpose and planned with 

 exactness, while they elongate or shorten their necks 

 at will. In a few seconds the fish disappears in the 

 Seal's mouth, as if sucked in. Great, also, is the 

 dexterity with which our Seals, standing erect in the 

 water and looking for the food-bringing keeper, can 

 keep themselves in one place by a gentle movement 

 of their hinder flippers." 



Movements of On the ground, on the other hand, 

 Seals on even those species which really walk, 

 Land. hobble along in an awkward way, 



while all the other species move about in a very 

 odd fashion, peculiar to themselves. Their method 

 of locomotion is nearly the same as that of some 

 Caterpillars. The Seal which wishes to go from one 

 place to another on the ground throws itself on 



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