The Marine Mammal Heart's hospital and visitor middle in Sausalito, California, has reopened to the public! Book your visit at present! Tickets are free but have to be reserved online prematurely. The phrase "pinniped" means fin- or flipper-footed and refers to the marine mammals that have front and rear flippers. Tens of millions of years ago, the ancestors of pinnipeds lived on land. These have been probably weasel- or bear-like animals that spent increasingly time in the ocean and finally adapted to this marine surroundings. Pinnipeds are separated into three groups: earless seals, eared seals and walruses. This group contains seals, sea lions and walruses -- animals that reside in the ocean but are ready to come back on land for long intervals of time. Typically referred to as earless seals or true seals, marine mammals within the phocid family will be simply recognized by looking at their ears and flippers. They even have small entrance flippers and move on land by flopping along on their bellies, a movement referred to as "galumphing." At sea, true seals transfer their rear flippers back and forth like a fish tail to propel themselves through the water. They've ear holes however no external ear flaps. You can acknowledge these animals by their red panda teddy flippers and ears. Sea lions and fur seals are part of the otariid household and are typically known as eared seals. Unlike true seals, otariids have external ear flaps. Their entrance flippers are
