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Seals
Seals are mammals belonging to the Order Pinnipedia, which means, "fin-footed".
Typical of mammals, they are warm-blooded, hairy, breath air, and suckle their
young.
Highly specialized for aquatic life in the Arctic, seals have webbed
feet, modified limbs for swimming and a streamlined body encircled by a layer of
blubber for warmth.
There are three families of Pinnipeds:
Phocidae or true seals, Otariidae that includes fur seals and sea lions, and
Odobenidae or the walrus. True
seals have hair on both sides of their flippers, no external ears and hind
flippers that cannot be rotated forward for walking.
Three species of true seals are found in the waters of the NWT:
ringed seal
(Phoca hispida),
bearded seal
(Erignathus
barbatus), harbour seal
(Phoca vitulina). |
