Question: What is a Pinniped?
The word "pinniped" is Latin for wing- or fin-footed. Pinnipeds are found all over the world and are a diverse group of marine mammals.
Answer:
The pinnipeds are in the order Carnivora and suborder Pinnipedia, and includes all the seals, sea lions and the walrus. There are three families of pinnipeds: the Phocidae, the earless or ‘true’ seals; the Otariidae, the eared seals, and the Odobenidae, the walrus. These three families contain 33 species.
All pinnipeds mate, give birth and nurse their young onshore. Pinnipeds are usually barrel-shaped, have fur and have wide flippers at the end of their short limbs. Their streamlined shape and adeptness at swimming makes them quick and agile in the water.
