The Difference Between Seals and Sea Lions

Seals and sea lions have a lot in common. These animals look a lot like each other, they have a similar lifestyle, and are from the same group of animals, called pinnipeds. But there are still some differences between them.

5-Minute Crafts is going to tell you about these differences.

• Ears
  Seals don’t have visible ears on their head. They hear thanks to the small holes on the sides of their head. Sea lions have small but visible ears on their head.
• Flippers
  Seals have short front flippers, with webs and claws on each finger. Sea lions have longer flippers, with claws and tufts of fur.
• Body
  Sea lions are usually much bigger than seals, they have stronger bodies. Seals are shorter and chubbier.
• Moving on land
  Thanks to their limbs, sea lions can move on the land more actively. They can literally walk on land by moving their flippers. Seals can’t do that. They can only crawl on their bellies, pulling themselves with the front flippers.

• Moving in the water
  Seals use their entire bodies to swim, and their back flippers to maneuver. Sea lions that have strong front flippers use them as paddles, and the back flippers are used for help.
• Habitat
  Even though both animals can be both in the water and on land, seals are better adapted to living in the water, and sea lions to the life on land.
• Social behavior
  Sea lions and social animals. They love gathering together in big noisy groups around the entire year. In some cases, such groups may have 1,500 animals. Seals, however, like living alone and only go to the shore around once a year for mating. Even during these periods, their colonies are not as big as those of sea lions.
• Vocalization
  Sea lions are very noisy. They make loud barking noises to communicate. Seals are actually very quiet. The sounds they make are more like grunting, sometimes emphasized by slapping the water.