Despite their name, fur seals are not true seals but are more closely related to sea lions.
Taxonomically, fur seals and sea lions belong to the same family, Otariidae, although fur seals have their own distinct subfamily.
Seals are categorized into three families:
· True seals (Phocidae)
· Walruses (Odobenidae)
· Eared seals (Otariidae)
The primary differences between these families include:
· Walruses have prominent whiskers, tusks, and no external ear flaps.
· Eared seals possess external ear flaps.
· True seals lack external ear flaps.
Within the eared seal family, there are two subfamilies:
· Fur seals
· Sea lion
Key distinguishing characteristics between fur seals and sea lions include:
· Fur seals have significantly thicker fur than sea lions.
· Sea lions are generally larger than fur seals.
· Fur seals exhibit more pronounced sexual dimorphism, with greater size differences between males and females compared to sea lions.
· Sea lions have a longer snout with eyes positioned further back on the head, whereas fur seals have shorter snouts with eyes closer to the nose.
· Fur seals have larger, more protruding ear flaps, and their flippers are proportionally longer than those of sea lions.
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