There are 33 species of pinnipeds alive today, most of which are known as seals.

Pinnipedia is made up
of three main groups: The walrus, which is the only living member of the family Odobenidae; the eared
seals of Otariidae, including numerous kinds of fur seal and sea lion; and the earless seals, known as true
seals or Phocidae. Despite the name, earless seals have ears—they’re just hidden beneath the surface of
their skin.

Pinnipeds can be found on every continent on Earth, though most species occur in cold-water
environments. Thick layers of fat, also known as blubber, keep the animals warm, in addition to dense
fur. Walruses are the exception to the rule, as these large, tusked pinnipeds have nearly hairless bodies.

Seals range greatly in size, from the gargantuan southern elephant seal, which can weigh more than a
pickup truck, to the relatively slender, 100-pound Baikal seal.

While there are many differences among the species, all seals have feet shaped like fins. In fact, the
word pinniped means "fin-footed" in Latin. Those fin-shaped feet make them supreme swimmers, and
all pinnipeds are considered semi-aquatic marine mammals. This means they must spend some part of
their lives on land or sea ice, usually during the mating and birthing seasons.

With so much time spent in water, some species like the elephant seals have evolved the ability to hold
their breath for up to two hours and dive to depths of more than 6,500 feet looking for food. (Read
more about how diving animals can stay underwater for so long.)

Nearly all seal species are reliant on marine habitats, though some will enter estuaries and rivers in
search of food. An outlier is the Baikal seal, which spends its whole life in Lake Baikal, a freshwater lake
in Siberia.

Evolutionarily speaking, seals are thought to be most closely related to bears and the group of animals
that includes weasels and otters, as well as skunks, raccoons, and red pandas.