The Marine Mammal Heart's hospital and visitor middle in Sausalito, California, has reopened to the general public! Ebook your visit at the moment! Tickets are free however have to be reserved online in advance. The word "pinniped" means fin- or flipper-footed and refers to the marine mammals which have front and rear flippers. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, the ancestors of pinnipeds lived on land. These have been in all probability weasel- or bear-like animals that spent increasingly time within the ocean and finally adapted to this marine setting. Pinnipeds are separated into three teams: earless seals, eared seals and walruses. This group consists of seals, sea lions and walruses -- animals that reside within the ocean but are able to come back on land for long periods of time. Sometimes known as earless seals or true seals, marine mammals within the phocid family will be easily identified by taking a look at their ears and flippers. They also have small entrance flippers and move on land by flopping along on their bellies, a motion known as "galumphing." At sea, true seals move their rear flippers back and forth like a fish tail to propel themselves by the water. They have ear holes however no exterior ear flaps. You may acknowledge these animals by their flippers and ears. Sea lions and fur seals are a part of the otariid household and are sometimes referred to as pooh teddy bear online eared seals. Unlike true seals, otariids have exterior ear flaps. Their entrance flippers are giant, and on land they can deliver all 4 flippers underneath their bodies and walk on them. Within the water, they swim using their entrance flippers like oars. They've longer flippers than sea lions, together with a luxuriant coat of fur that was so prized by hunters that it introduced them to the brink of extinction in the 19th century. Walruses are in a family of their own called the odobenids. Fur seals, in spite of having the word “seal” in their title, are literally intently related to sea lions. They've air sacs of their neck that may inflate to permit them to float as if they are sporting life preservers. Walruses are one in every of the biggest pinnipeds, with males reaching over 3,000 pounds. They stay within the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans, in the arctic region. Each males and females have tusks and vacuum-like mouths for sucking up shellfish from the ocean flooring. Canadian laws, however restricted hunting by the Inuit individuals is allowed. Walruses are protected underneath U.S. The Marine Mammal Heart cares about your privacy. Read our privateness coverage.