The Marine Mammal Center's hospital and visitor center in Sausalito, California, has reopened to the public! Guide your visit at the moment! Tickets are free but should be reserved online upfront. The word "pinniped" means fin- or flipper-footed and refers to the marine mammals which have front and rear flippers. Thousands and thousands of years in the past, the ancestors of pinnipeds lived on land. These had been in all probability weasel- or big panda teddy bear-like animals that spent an increasing number of time within the ocean and eventually tailored to this marine atmosphere. Pinnipeds are separated into three groups: earless seals, eared seals and walruses. This group consists of seals, sea lions and walruses -- animals that dwell within the ocean however are ready to return on land for lengthy periods of time. Typically referred to as earless seals or true seals, marine mammals in the phocid family could be simply identified by looking at their ears and flippers. They also have small entrance flippers and move on land by flopping along on their bellies, a motion known as "galumphing." At sea, true seals move their rear flippers again and forth like a fish tail to propel themselves by the water. They have ear holes but no exterior ear flaps. You possibly can recognize these animals by their flippers and ears. Sea lions and fur seals are part of the otariid family and are typically referred to as eared seals. In contrast to true seals, otariids have exterior
