THE EARED SEALS 695 



Only one member of the whole group appears to be strictly tropical, and com- 

 paratively few even range into tropical regions; the great majorit'y being found in 

 the Arctic, Antarctic, and Temperate zones, many of them being exclusively Arctic 

 or Subarctic, while one is as entirely Antarctic. And, whereas, the walruses are 

 restricted mainly at the present day to the northern regions, the other two families 

 are well represented on both sides of the Equator. Most of the true or earless seals 

 .are confined to the colder latitudes, and generally produce their young on the ice. 



THE EARED SEALS 



Family OTARIID^^ 



Genus Otaria 



The eared seals form a well-marked family, which tends to connect the other 

 and more specialized representatives of the group with ordinary terrestrial Carni- 

 vores. In the first place, their hind-limbs are decidedly less modified ; all the eared 

 seals, as is well shown in the illustration on p. 694, being characterized by having, 

 when on land, the hind-flippers turned forward under the body in the direction of 

 the head, so that they aid in the support of the trunk in the ordinary manner. 

 They derive their distinctive title from the presence of a small but well-defined ex- 

 ternal ear; and by these two characteristics an eared seal may always be distinguished 

 at the first glance from all the other members of the group. They are further 

 characterized by having the soles of both the fore and hind-feet entirely devoid of 

 hair. 



These animals also have well-marked necks, and their fore-feet are nearly as 

 long as the hind ones. In the fore-feet the toes decrease in length from the first to 

 the fifth, and have merely rudimentary claws; while in the hind-feet the three 

 small middle toes generally have better developed claws, while the lateral pair are 

 quite clawless. In both fore and hind-feet the skin extends considerably in advance 

 of the tips of the toes, where it terminates in flaps. Usually there are thirty-four 

 teeth, but sometimes, owing to the presence of a second pair of molars in the upper 

 jaw, there may be thirty-six. There are always three pairs of incisor teeth in the 

 upper, and two in the lower jaw. 



The eared seals include the animals commonly known as sea-lions and sea- 

 bears; and some of them furnish the ' ' seal skin ' ' of commerce. This seal skin is the 

 under-fur, from which the long hairs of the outer coat have been removed ; and 

 such species as possess this under-fur are consequently termed fur-seals. Those 

 species, on the other hand, which have only the ordinary close coat of hair, without 

 any woolly under-fur, are commonly termed hair-seals ; and their commercial value 

 is limited to the oil and leather which they yield. In regard to the number of 

 species of eared seals, and likewise as to whether they should all be included in a 

 .single genus (Otaria}, or referred to two or more genera, there have been much dis- 

 cussion and difference of opinion. Writing in 1880, Mr. J. A. Allen put down the 

 number of definable species as nine, of which five are hair-seals and four fur-seals. 



