Zoology.] NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. [Mammalia. 



Plate 31. 

 EUOTARIA CINEREA (Peron hp.). 



Australian Sea-Bear or Fur-Seal. 



[Genus EUOTARIA (Gray). (Sub-kingd. Vertebrata. Class Mammalia. Order Ferse. 

 Section Pinnipedia. Fam. Phocidae. Sub-fam. Otarinae.) 

 3—3 

 Gen. Char. — Incisors, t—- ; upper outer ones very large, like canines ; four middle ones 



small and with cutting edges doubled by a transverse groove ; lower ones small, subequal, simple. 



1—1 6-6 



Canines, , ; large, conic. Molars, , — 5 ; triangular, pointed, compressed, with a small cusp 



at base, behind or before, or both ; sixth or hind molar entirely behind the hind margin of front 

 of zygomatic arch, with anterior branch of fang arched, diverging to front ; the fangs of fourth 

 and fifth imperfectly divided by a sulcus. Skull depressed ; of males, broad with the occipital 

 portion elevated and becoming crested with age ; that of females narrower, not so elevated 

 behind, and with little or no occipital crest ; palate extending to middle of zygoma. Head 

 blunt. Anterior limbs falcate with 4 or 5 rudimentary nails ; hind limbs bent forwards when 

 resting or walking, with long nails on three middle toes and very small ones on the two outer 

 toes. Body tapering, tail short. Males larger and with proportionately larger limbs than the 

 females. Hair rather coarse, with scanty or no under-fur at base.] 



Description. — Head, viewed from above, semi-oval, slightly pointed at the 

 snout ; profile descending* with a slight convexity from the occiput to the tip of the 

 snout, from whence the surface bends abruptly inwards and downwards at an angle 

 of about 80° to the lower lip ; tip of nose naked, jet black, with a deep median 

 sulcus dividing the valvular nostrils, which converge at an acute angle below and 

 are bounded externally by the fur, and internally and above by the naked part of the 

 nose. Whiskers of about 35 strong flat bristles, blackish towards the base, whitish 

 towards the apex ; reaching, in the adult, a little beyond the ear ; shorter in the 

 young. Anterior limbs with a distinct lobe of the naked skin at the end of each of 

 the five fingers, with a nearly straight or slightly convex edge between the lobes ; 

 the fur extends only as far as the tips of the phalanges, the first four of which have 

 distinct but very small rudimentary nails near the 

 posterior margin ; a narrow bare portion extends 

 along the anterior edge as far as opposite the end 

 of the fifth phalanx. Posterior limb with the 

 external lobe of the naked skin of margin very 

 slightly longer than the internal one ; the three 

 middle lobes of the same length but much narrower ; 

 the nails of the three middle phalanges very large, 

 the middle one longest, the first and fifth very 

 much smaller, the first, or external one, smallest ; 

 naked margins of both pairs of limbs and naked 

 part of snout jet black. ~ ^"l^S ™ w. — " " "" 



Male: length of adult, about 7 feet. Color: of adult, greyish dark -brown, 

 somewhat lighter on the sides and snout, of a darker rich chesnut hue on the belly, 

 tail, limbs, and edge of upper lip, the hind limbs darkest ; under-fur scanty, of a rich 



[7] 



