Introduction
The term "seal" is used to refer to true seals, specifically. It is important to be aware that eared seals/furred seals are not considered true seals. In fact, they are better known as sea lions. The seal family stems from the suborder- Pinnipedia, originating from Latin as "fin" or "flipper-footed". This term is used to refer to the marine mammals that have front and rear flippers. These animals are semi-aquatic, meaning that they live in the ocean but can be on land for a long period of time. The pinniped family consists of seals, sea lions, and walruses.
Classification
True seals, otherwise known as earless seals. The scientific name for earless seals is Phocids, from the family Phocidae. They have ear holes with no external ear flaps, smaller front flippers than sea lions, and "rearward facing hind limbs that are fused together into one scalloped flipper" (Animal Facts Encyclopedia). Their limbs make it difficult for them to maneuver to land. As a result, they move on land by flopping their bodies forward. Furred seals and eared seals are not seals. Despite having the word "seal" in their name, they are actually considered to be sea lions.
Size
There are 19 species of seals. The size range for seals is quite large. The largest species of seal (Southern elephant seal) is about 16 feet long, compared to the smallest (Baikal seal), which is only a mere four feet long.
Moving Around
Traveling on land can be quite difficult for these animals. Sometimes seals will move on land by plopping the front of the body forward and then dragging their lower body along. Other times, if a seal wishes to travel a shorter distance, they will roll their body along the land surface until they read their destination. Despite being incredibly cumbersome on land, in the ocean, seals swim with exceeding grace and swiftness. They use all four flippers for both propulsion and steering.