OTARIIDAE SEALS ALEAH BONITTO PERIOD 2

CLASSIFICATION  KINGDOM : ANIMALIA  PHYLUM: CHORDATA  SUBPHYLUM: VERTEBRATA  CLASS: MAMMALIA  ORDER: CARNIVORE  SUBORDER: CANIFORMIA  INFRAORDER: PINNIPEDIA  FAMILY: OTARIIDAE

OTARIIDAE SPECIES LIST CAPE FUR SEAL ( ARCTOCEPHALUS PUSILLUS) ANTARCTIC FUR SEAL (ARCTOCEPHALUS GAZELLA) SUBANTARCTIC FUR SEAL (ARCTOCEPHALUS TROPICALIS) NEW ZEALAND FUR SEAL ( ARCTOCEPHALUS FORSTERI) SOUTH AMERICAN FUR SEAL ( ARCTOCEPHALUS AUSTRALIS) GALAPAGOS FUR SEAL ( ARCTOCEPHALUS GALAPAGOENSIS) GUADALUPE FUR SEAL (ARCTOCEPHALUS PHILIPPII) NORTHERN FUR SEAL ( CALLORHINUS URSINUS) CALIFORNIA SEA LION (ZALOPHUS CALIFORNIANUS) GALAPAGOS SEA LION ( ZALOPHUS WOLLEBAEKI) STELLER SEA LION ( EUMETOPIAS JUBATUS) AUSTRALIAN SEA LION ( NEOPHOCA CINEREA) NEW ZEALAND SEA LION ( PHOCARCTOS HOOKERI) SOUTH AMERICAN SEA LION (OTARIA BYRONIA)

FAMILY OTARIIDAE CHARACTERISTICS FAMILY OTARIIDAE CONTAINS 13 SPECIES CONTAINS MARINE MAMMALS WITH VISIBLE EAR FLAPS HAVE FUR ( MOSTLY COURSE HAIRS IN SEA LIONS AND A DENSE UNDERFUR IN FUR SEAL) HAVE LONG FRONT FLIPPERS THAT CAN BE MORE THAN ONE-QUARTER THE LENGTH OF THE ANIMAL’S BODY. THEIR FLIPPERS ARE LEATHERY AND HAIRLESS WITH SMALL CLAWS AND AE USED PRIMARILY FOR SWIMMING. HAVE A VISIBLE EAR FLAP THAT HAS A MIDDLE EAR SIMILAR TO THAT OF TERRESTRIAL MAMMALS, AND AN AIR FILLED AUDITORY CANAL. HAVE AN EXCELLENT EYESIGHT THAT ALLOWS THEM TO SEE WELL IN THE DARK.

EARED SEALS VS. SEALS Eared seals  Have external ear flaps  Swim with their front flippers. Unlike earless seals, their hind flippers can turn forward, and they are better able to walk, and even run, on their flippers.  May congregate in larger groups than true seals  Are found only in marine environments  Have four teats “ True” Seals  Have no external ear flaps  Swim with their hind flippers. Their hind flippers always face backward and are furred.  Have front flippers that are short, furry and stubby in appearance.  Can be found in both marine and freshwater environments.  Have two or four teats

FEEDING OTARIIDS ARE CARNIVORES, AND HAVE A DIET WHICH VARIES DEPENDING ON SPECIES. COMMON PREY ITEMS INCLUDE FISH, CRUSTACEANS ( KRILL, LOBSTER ), CEPHALOPODS AND EVEN BIRDS (PENGUINS)

REPRODUCTION OTARIIDS HAVE DISTINCT BREEDING GROUNDS, AND OFTEN GATHER IN LARGE GROUPS DURING BREEDING SEASON. MALES ARRIVE ON THE BREEDING GROUNDS FIRST AND ESTABLISH AS LARGE A TERRITORY AS POSSIBLE, ALONG WITH HAREM OF UP TO 40 OR 50 FEMALES. THE MALES DEFEND THEIR TERRITORY USING VOCALIZATIONS, VISUAL DISPLAYS, AND BY FIGHTING WITH OTHER MALES. FEMALES GIVE BIRTH ON LAND. THE MOTHER MAY NURSE HER PUP FOR 4-30 MONTHS, DEPENDING ON THE SPECIES AND AVAILABILITY OF PREY. MOTHERS MAY LEAVE THE PUPS ON THE LAND FOR EXTENDED PERIODS TO GO ON FORAGING TRIPS IN THE OCEAN, SOMETIMES SPENDING AS MUCH AS THREE-QUARTERS OF THEIR TIME AT SEA WITH PUPS LEFT ON SHORE.

SEA LIONS IN CAPTIVITY SEA LIONS TEND TO DO EXTREMELY WELL IN CAPTIVITY, YET IT IS EXPENSIVE TO CARE FOR THEM. THESE ARE HIGHLY SOCIAL ANIMALS SO THERE CAN’T JUST BE ONE OR TWO OF THEM. THERE NEEDS TO BE PLENTY SO THEY FEEL LIKE THEY BELONG TO A COLONY LIKE THEY DO IN THE WILD. THEY CAN LIVE AN AVERAGE OF THE 30 YEARS IN CAPTIVITY. THEY ARE A EASY TO TRAIN AND GENERALLY GET ALONG VERY WELL WITH HUMANS THAT ARE WORKING WITH THEM.

CONSERVATION MANY OTARIID POPULATIONS WERE THREATENED BY HARVESTING. SEALS AND SEA LIONS HAVE BEEN HUNTED FOR THEIR FUR, SKIN, BLUBBER, ORGANS AND WHISKERS. HAVE ALSO BEEN HUNTED BECAUSE OF THEIR PERCEIVED THREAT TO FISH POPULATIONS OR AQUACULTURE FACILITIES. IN THE U.S., ALL OTARIID SPECIES ARE PROTECTED BY THE MARINE MAMMAL PROTECTION ACT. MANY SPECIES HAVE BEEN ON THE REBOUND. CURRENT THREATS INCLUDE ENTANGLEMENT IN FISHING GEAR AND OTHER DEBRIS, OVER FISHING, ILLEGAL SHOOTING, TOXINS IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT, AND CLIMATE CHANGE, WHICH MAY AFFECT PREY AVAILABILITY, AVAILABLE HABITAT, AND PUP SURVIVAL.

FUN FACTS SEALS ARE THOUGHT TO HAVE EVOLVED FROM BEAR- OR OTTER-LIKE ANCESTORS WHO LIVED ON LAND. FEMALES CAN BECOME PREGNANT WITH ANOTHER PUP AFTER THEY GIVE BIRTH. STELLER SEA LION WHISKERS WERE USED FOR CLEANING OPIUM PIPES. BELONG TO THE ORDER OF SEA MAMMALS CALLED PINNIPEDIA, A LATIN WORD MEANING “FIN FOOT” OR “WING FOOT”. SEA LIONS CAN REMAIN UNDERWATER FOR AN AVERAGE OF 8 TO 20 MINUTES. SEA LIONS CAN DIVE TO DEPTHS BETWEEN 450 AND 900 FT. TAKE NAPS DURING THE DAY AND AT NIGHT AND THEY CAN SLEEP IN OR OUT OF THE WATER. THE UNITED STATES NAVY USES SEA LIONS FOR IN WATER OPERATIONS. CAN BALANCE A BALL UTILIZING THEIR WHISKERS AND NOT THEIR NOSE.

SEA LIONS HAVE THREE TOE NAILS ON EACH HIND FLIPPER. SEA LIONS MOLT ONCE A YEAR, USUALLY DURING BREEDING SEASON. DURING THE MOLTING SEASON SEALS CANNOT ENTER THE WATER BECAUSE THEY DO NOT HAVE THE PROPER INSULATION TO KEEP THEM WARM, THEREFORE THEY FAST DURING THIS TIME PERIOD. SEA LION PUPS WILL MOLT TWICE DURING THEIR FIRST SIX MONTHS OF LIFE. SEA LIONS CANNOT SMELL UNDER WATER BUT ABOVE WATER SMELL IS A HIGHLY DEVELOPED SENSE. SEA LIONS HAVE A LIMITED SENSE OF TASTE, SIMILAR TO OTHER MARINE MAMMALS. A SEA LIONS WHISKERS CONTAIN NERVE FIBERS, WHICH MAKE THEM SENSITIVE. THEY MAY USE THEIR WHISKERS TO AID IN NAVIGATION OR TO DETECT VIBRATIONS FROM PREY IN THE WATER. UNDERWATER A SEA LION WILL SINK TO THE BOTTOM AND RISE OCCASIONALLY FOR AIR. IN DEEPER WATER THEY WILL FLOAT UPRIGHT WITH THE TIP OF THEIR NOSE OUT OF THE WATER. SEA LIONS USE A PROCESS CALLED THERMOREGULATION TO REGULATE BODY TEMPERATURE.

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