Is a seal a mammal or amphibian?

Is a seal a mammal or amphibian?

seal, any of 32 species of web-footed aquatic mammals that live chiefly in cold seas and whose body shape, round at the middle and tapered at the ends, is adapted to swift and graceful swimming.

Is seal a fish or mammal?

While there are many differences among the species, all seals have feet shaped like fins. In fact, the word pinniped means “fin-footed” in Latin. Those fin-shaped feet make them supreme swimmers, and all pinnipeds are considered semi-aquatic marine mammals.

Why is the seal a mammal?

Seals are mammals! They possess all the things that make an animal a mammal. They are warm-blooded, they are vertebrates, they have fur, and most of all, the mothers feed their babies with milk expressed through mammary glands. These mammals live most of their lives in or near water, especially the ocean.

What is a seal classified as?

Seals are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Carnivora, suborder Pinnipedia. Characteristic Features of All Seals.

Is seal a reptile?

Seals are carnivorous aquatic mammals with front and hind feet modified as flippers, or fin-feet. Sea lions, fur seals and the walrus are able to turn their hind flippers forward for walking on land; they swim chiefly by a rowing action of the long front flippers. True seals are unable to rotate the hind flippers.

Why are seals important to the ecosystem?

As one of the keystone species in marine ecosystems, seals help maintain a balance in the food web. Seals consume fish, squid, and crustaceans. Through their movements, seals also help to cycle nutrients through the water column, and transfer them from sea to shore.

What makes an animal a mammal?

Mammals have hair or fur; are warm-blooded; most are born alive; the young are fed milk produced by the mother’s mammary glands; and they have a more complex brain than other animals.

What land animal are seals related to?

There are nine species of fur seals, which are close relatives of sea lions. They have visible ear flaps, strong front flippers, and the ability to walk on all four flippers when on land. Males are larger than females—in some species they can be up to four times larger.

Is a seal an animal?

Seals are carnivorous aquatic mammals with front and hind feet modified as flippers, or fin-feet. Their limbs are short and their feet are long and webbed, forming flippers. …

What class of animal is a seal?

Mammal
Seals/Class

Are leopard seals carnivores?

Omnivorous
Leopard seal/Trophic level

Are seals considered amphibious?

Amphibious marine mammals consist of the pinnipeds (sea lions and fur seals, Family Otariidae; true seals, Family Phocidae; and walruses, Family Odobenidae), sea otters (Family Mustelidae), and polar bears (Family Ursidae). All spend time on land as well as in the water.