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Species Identifier
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When attempting to identify an animal as either a true seal
(Phocid) or a fur seal or sea lion (Otariid), it is best to determine the animal's mode of terrestrial
locomotion. Remember the general rule: true seals are like slugs; fur seals and sea lions are like bears.
True seals are like slugs because they cannot rotate their hind flippers forward to "walk" on land or ice
as fur seals or sea lions do. Instead, they move by hunching the body like an oversized slug. Fur seals and
sea lions, on the other hand, use both hind and fore flippers to walk on land just like bears and other land
mammals. Test yourself: Can you identify which of the following animals are Phocids and which are Otariids?
The following are descriptions of the different pinniped species we typically see as patients at
Pacific Marine Mammal Center. Included below you will find general information about the animal's diet,
distribution, and natural history.
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California Sea Lion
Zalophus californianus
Habitat: offshore islands of California and Baja
Diet: squid, abalone, octopus, anchovy, hake, herring, Pacific whiting, sardines, jack, mackerel, rockfish, salmon, and ratfish
Diet at PMMC: herring, mackerel, squid, and smelt
Males: 6.5 to 8 feet long, 450 to 850 lbs.
Females: 5 to 6.5 feet long, 110 to 250 lbs.
Dive: swim up to 25 mph, with short bursts of 30 mph and dive to 450 feet for 20 minutes
Pupping Season: May-June, 12 to 13 lbs. at birth
Population: estimated at 45,000 on the West Coast, 145,000 worldwide
Predators: large sharks, killer whales, and humans
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Harbor Seal
Phoca vitulina
Habitat: Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, from Alaska to Baja
Diet: herring, squid, octopus, shrimp, sculpin, salmon, flounder, alewife, hake, smelt, mackerel, sand lance, capelin, cod, and mollusks
Diet at PMMC: herring and smelt
Males: 5 to 6 feet long, weigh up to 300 pounds
Females: slightly smaller
Dive: swim 10 to 15 mph, can dive 1500 feet for up to 40 minutes, average 3-7 min./dive
Pupping Season: In California, February to March. Pups weigh 25-30 pounds at birth.
Population: In North Pacific, estimated to be 330,000. In California, about 40,000 as of 1997.
Predators: polar bears, killer whales, sharks, humans, eagles, and coyotes (coyotes eat pups)
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Northern Elephant Seal
Mirounga angustirostris
Habitat: Baja California to Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands.
Diet: ratfish, hagfish, Pacific whiting, squid, octopus, pelagic red crabs, and small sharks
Diet at PMMC: herring and mackerel
Males: Grow over 13 feet long and weigh up to 4,500 pounds
Females: Grow to 10 feet in length and weigh up to 1,500 pounds
Dive: to 5000 feet for up to 2 hours (record 5240 feet/119 minutes)
Pupping Season: December to February,pups weigh about 75 pounds and are 4 feet long
Population: estimated at 150,000 individuals, (up from 100 in 1907, once hunted near to the brink of extinction for their blubber)
Predators: great white sharks, killer whales, and humans
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Northern Fur Seal
Callorhinus ursinus
Habitat: Throughout the Pacific Rim ( from Japan to the Berring Sea to the Channel Islands )
Diet: squid, anchovy, capelin, herring, pollock, lantern fish, cod, rockfish, loons, and petrels
Diet at PMMC: herring and mackerel
Males: approximately 7 feet long, 385 to 605 lbs.
Females: 5 feet long, 66-110 lbs.
Dive: 600 feet maximum, average 200 feet
Pupping Season: May to June, male pups weigh about 12 pounds, female pups weigh about 10 pounds
Population: worldwide population estimated at 1,215,000
Predators: large sharks, killer whales, and humans
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