Question

28. What are two ways by which seals and sea lions differ anatomically?

29. Which set of flippers do sea lions use for propulsion? Seals?

30. How do you generally identify males vs. females?

Answer 1

28.Both seals and sea lions, together with the walrus, are pinnipeds, which means "fin footed" in Latin.

But seals' furry, generally stubby front feet — thinly webbed flippers, actually, with a claw on each small toe — seem petite in comparison to the mostly skin-covered, elongated fore flippers that sea lions possess.

Secondly, sea lions have small flaps for outer ears. The "earless" or "true" seals lack external ears altogether. You have to get very close to see the tiny holes on the sides of a seal’s sleek head.

Third, sea lions are noisy. Seals are quieter, vocalizing via soft grunts.

Fourth, while both species spend time both in and out of the water, seals are better adapted to live in the water than on land. Though their bodies can appear chubby, seals are generally smaller and more aquadynamic than sea lions. At the same time, their hind flippers angle backward and don't rotate. This makes them fast in the water but basic belly crawlers on terra firma.

Sea lions, on the other hand, are able to "walk" on land by rotating their hind flippers forward and underneath their big bodies. This is why they are more likely to be employed in aquaria and marine shows.

Finally, seals are less social than their sea-lion cousins. They spend more time in the water than sea lions do and often lead solitary lives in the wild, coming ashore together only once a year to meet and mate.

Sea lions congregate in gregarious groups called herds or rafts that can reach upwards of 1,500 individuals. It's common for scores of them to haul out together and loll about in the sand, comprising an amorphous pile in the noonday sun.

29.Sea lions mainly use fore flippets for propulsion,Seals too use that(fore flippers).

Most fish, cetaceans (whales and dolphins) and phocids (seals) undulate their bodies and use lateral or vertical oscillations of their rear appendages in a 2-phase propulsive stroke pattern, while otariids (fur seals and sea lions), turtles or penguins use their fore-flippers for propulsion.

30. In case of seals;

Males are mainly dark in colour in comparison to the females which can vary in colour from brown to dark grey. So the size and general colour of the seals can help to identify males and females.

The other main difference between adult male and females are the size and shape of the head. Males are generally larger and have a more structured face and females have a smaller, shorter more rounded head.

In case of Sea lions;

Male sea lions grow much larger than females. South American sea lion males, like the boys at Coral World, will average somewhere between 500-600 pounds when they are fully grown. Females won’t reach anywhere close to this size. A female South American sea lion will average between 150-300 pounds. Omar is our smallest sea lion here at Coral World. He has a very small body frame and is not yet fully grown. At 330 pounds, however, he is still bigger than even the largest of females.

Male sea lions also will have observable physical characteristics that females lack. California sea lion males grow large bumps on their forehead. These bumps are called sagittal crests. Our sea lions think they look very silly, and they’re happy that their heads are very smooth. However, South American sea lion males will also develop a physical trait to differentiate them from females: a big, fluffy mane of hair around their necks. They’re not called sea lions for nothing. The manes on the males are very similar to the manes that true lion males grow.