Grey Seal

This is one of the Cutest, sweetest series of photos! I love love it!!

Was this sighting in an Aquarium? Grey seals and Sea lions are both Pinnipeds but are from different families. Grey seals are from the family Phocidae "true or earless" seals because they have no earflap just a small ear hole. They cannot rotate their hind flippers under their body in order to "walk"... on land they pull themselves along with their foreflippers dragging their hind flippers. In the water they use their hind flippers for propulsion and foreflippers for steering. Sea Lions are are from the Otariidae family because they have tiny earflaps. "Eared" seals can walk on land because they can rotate their hind hip forward ... it isn't graceful but they do travel over land much more easily than "true seals". They use their fore flippers for propulsion. I'm pretty sure this is a grey seal not a harbor or common seal because it has a longer muzzle and its nostrils form a W rather than a V shape. Grey seals are also larger than Harbor seals, but both are "true seals".