Otariidae

Also known as eared seal family, eared seals, otariids

family of mammals

AI overview

Otariidae is a family of marine mammals that includes sea lions and fur seals, which are known for their ability to rotate their hind flippers forward to move on land. These animals are important to understand because they help scientists study marine ecosystems and the health of ocean environments.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Species

eared seals

Otariidae

FAMILY

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassMammalia
OrderCarnivora
FamilyOtariidae

Habitatmarine

海狮科（拉丁语学名：Otariidae）是食肉目动物中的一个科，是长有外耳的鳍足动物，总共有14种。而那些长有内耳的鳍足动物则被称为真海豹，即海豹科（Phocidae）。海狮科包括体形比较大的鳍足动物，如在世界各大洋多岩礁的海岸组成很大群的海狗和海狮。与海豹科的动物相比海狮科的动物还保留着比较好的、适应陆上生活的特征。在生物分类学中这个科是1825年英国动物学家约翰·爱德华·格雷建立的，其拉丁语学名来自于原型标本南美海獅。目录 1 特征 1.1 大小和重量 1.2 皮毛 1.3 颅骨和牙齿 1.4 脊柱 1.5 四肢 1.6 呼吸系统、循环系统、生殖系统和遗传学 1.7 感觉器官 2 分布和生活环境 3 行动 4 生活方式 4.1 营养 4.2 繁殖 5 威胁 6 进化史 6.1 化石 6.2 适应 7 分类特征大小和重量海狮科动物的大小和重量可以差别很大，比如雄性紐西蘭海獅（Phocarctos hookeri）的体长可达3.5米，而雌性加拉巴哥海狗（Arctocephalus galapagoensis）的身长只有一米。有些种的雌性的体重只有25千克，而雄性北海狮（Eumetopias jubatus）可重达500千克以上。所有海狮科动物的性双态性均相当大，有些甚至非常大，比如雄性北海狗（Callorhinus ursinus）比雌性北方海狗约重4.5倍。海獅科动物的性双态性是其特殊的繁殖方法导致的。皮毛海狮科动物身体瘦长，呈锭子形，身上被同样长的、一般棕色的皮毛。海狗还有一层非常密的细毛，其中的空气泡可以在水下起保暖作用，这层毛每隔一段时间就会被更新。与海豹科动物不同，海狮科动物皮毛的更新不断进行，没有一定的换毛期。海狮科动物皮下的脂肪层一般比海豹科动物也要薄。颅骨和牙齿海狮科动物的颅骨很像熊的颅骨。与熊的颅骨一样其蝶骨（Os sphenoidale）的大翼被一条隧道贯通。颈内动脉（Arteria carotis interna）从这根隧道穿过蝶骨为脑子带来氧气和营养。颞骨（Os temporale）上的颞骨乳头突（Processus mastoideus）也与熊科动物一样非常发达，这个部位是一块非常有力的肌肉的固定处。不过颞骨乳头突与中耳的窝（Bulla tympanica）明显分离。上部头关节（Articulatio atlanto-occipitalis）的关节头（Condylus occipitalis）上移。眶（Orbita）不完全分离，在额骨（Os frontale）的后缘和上缘分别有两个明显的突出，这两个突出分别被称为Processus postorbitalis和Processus supraorbitalis。海狮科动物的下颚部分在颌联合（Symphysis mandibulae）处没有完全长在一起。雄性动物与雌性

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Article

An eared seal, otariid, or otary, is any member of the marine mammal family Otariidae, one of three groupings of pinnipeds. They comprise 15 extant species in seven genera (another species became extinct in the 1950s) and are commonly known either as sea lions or fur seals, distinct from true seals (phocids) and the walrus (odobenids). Otariids are adapted to a semiaquatic lifestyle, feeding and migrating in the water, but breeding and resting on land or ice. They reside in subpolar, temperate, and equatorial waters throughout the Pacific and Southern Oceans, the southern Indian, and Atlantic Oceans. They are conspicuously absent in the north Atlantic.

The words "otariid" and "otary" come from the Ancient Greek ὠτάριον (ōtárion), meaning "little ear", referring to the small but visible external ear flaps (pinnae), which distinguishes them from the phocids.