Eared Seal Research Paper

Species and Origin:

Otariidae or eared seals one of the three groups of pinnipeds and are more known as sea lions or fur seals. The eared seal is adapted to live a semi-aquatic lifestyle, meaning they feed and migrate through water then breed and live on land or ice. They live in subpolar, temperate, and equatorial waters throughout the Pacific and Southern Oceans as well as the southern Indian and Atlantic Oceans. They are absent in the northern Atlantic Ocean.

They are called "eared seals" because of the little external ear flaps they have that distinguish them from the phocids.

The Otariidae, and the other two pinniped families, descended from a closely related ancestor of the modern bear or Ursidae. The Otariidae arose in the Miocene (15-17 million years ago) in the Pacific Ocean and became more diverse whilst spreading across the Southern Hemisphere where most species now reside.

The earliest fossil osariid was found in California, the Eotaria crypta was the first and is the oldest sea lion to date and is believed to have lived during the Miocene period in which it was hypothesized for Otariidaes to have risen. This is a recent discovery and filled the millions of years of evolutionary history for the eared seal. When the fossils were discovered in 1980, it was misidentified to be related to the walrus.
These seals are the second smallest seal of the otariids, the Galápagos fur seal being the smallest. Soon after their discovery they became victim to sealers or seal hunters in the Maritime Fur Trade era, and were hunted to near extinction. A small population was rediscovered in the mid-20th century and was protected, helping it repopulate and flourish. It is estimated that about 10,000 animals now live on the islands and are a near threatened