SEAL


Meaning of SEAL in English

n.

Aquatic carnivore with webbed flippers and a streamlined body.

Earless (true, or hair) seals (of the family Phocidae, with 18 species) lack external ears. In water, they propel themselves by side-to-side strokes of the hind limbs and maneuver with their forelimbs. On land, they wriggle on their belly or pull themselves with their forelimbs. Earless species include the elephant seal , harbour seal , harp seal , and leopard seal . The eared seals (family Otariidae, with five species of sea lion and nine of fur seal) have external ears and longer flippers. In water, they propel themselves by a rowing motion of their forelimbs; on land, they use all four limbs to move about.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.