The name "pinniped" derives from the Latin words pinna 'fin' and pes, pedis 'foot'. The common name "seal" originates from the Old … 展开

Pinnipeds have streamlined, spindle-shaped bodies with small or non-existent ear flaps, rounded heads, short muzzles, flexible necks, limbs modified into flippers and small tails. The 展开

Living pinnipeds are widespread in cold oceanic waters; particularly in the North Atlantic, the North Pacific and the Southern Ocean. … 展开

In culture
Various human cultures have for millennia depicted pinnipeds. In Homer's Odyssey, the sea god 展开

The German naturalist Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger was the first to recognize the pinnipeds as a distinct taxonomic unit; in 1811 he gave the name Pinnipedia to both a family and an order. American zoologist Joel Asaph Allen reviewed the world's pinnipeds in an … 展开

Pinnipeds have an amphibious lifestyle; they are mostly aquatic, but haul out to breed, molt, rest, sun or to avoid aquatic predators. Several species are known to migrate over … 展开

As of 2021, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recognizes 36 pinniped species. With the Japanese sea lion and the Caribbean monk seal recently extinct, ten more … 展开