Seals and Sea
Lions belong to a family of animals called Pinnipeds. The family of creatures classified under pinniped also includes
walruses, but in our area, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, we commonly see
only three species: the Steller Sea Lion, the California Sea Lion, and the Harbour
Seal.
Pinnipeds have a
number of adaptations that allow them to live in the ocean. For example, they have paws instead of
flippers. They also rely on a layer of
blubber to insulate them from the cold ocean waters. Pinnipeds have streamlined bodies to allow them to swim
fast. They have sharp teeth for
grabbing fish to eat; in fact, they don’t even chew their food, but swallow it
whole instead! Pinnipeds are well adapted
for diving deep in the ocean. They
store extra oxygen in their muscles and blood to use during a dive and can also
slow their heartbeats down to use less oxygen while beneath the surface.
There are three
families of pinnipeds and each is a little different from each other. One family is the true seals, or
phocids. In our region, the resident
phocid is the Harbour Seal. Phocids
have ear holes instead of flaps. They
also have relatively small flippers and as such, move about on land by flopping
on their bellies. While swimming,
phocids swing their tails back and forth like a fish to propel themselves
forward. The second family, called
otariids, include the two species of sea lion common in our area. Otariids, unlike true seals, have external
ear flaps. Their flippers are large and
as such, they are able to walk on their flippers while on land. In the water, they swim using their front
flippers like oars. The third family
includes the walrus, a creature not found in the vicinity of Vancouver
Island. Click on the species below to
find out more about the creatures in our area.
Sea Otters are very
interesting sea mammals that have been transplanted to the Vancouver Island
area. Click below for more info!
