THE CAPE SEA LION 



(drctocephalus pusillus) 

 Also known as the Hair Seal ; Sea Dog ; Robbe 



ALTHOUGH not an inhabitant of the land or the 

 rivers of South Africa, yet the Cape Seal or Sea 

 Lion is claimed as one of our native fauna for the 

 reason that it inhabits the bays, oceans, and islands 

 about the coast. 



The seal is one of the carnivorous or flesh-eating 

 animals, and in this respect it is related to the cat 

 and dog tribe. Without knowing anything of its 

 habits, a glance at its teeth is sufficient to convince 

 any naturalist that it is one of the carnivorous 

 tribe of animals. However, it differs in its bodily 

 organisation to all the flesh-eating land animals, 

 for, instead of having well-developed legs and toes, 

 it has flippers and finned feet. It is, in conse- 

 quence, known as a Pinniped or Fin-footed car- 

 nivore, and its carnivorous relatives which dwell 

 on the land are known as Fissiped carnivores, or, 

 in other words, flesh-eating animals with separate 

 toes. The paddle-like feet of the seal furnish a 

 remarkable instance of the evolutionary processes 

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