. A manual of zoology for the use of students : with a general introduction on the principles of zoology . Zoology. CARNIVORA. 575 able swimming apparatus, similar in its action to the horizontal tail-fin of the Cetacea and Sirenia. The tips of the toes are furnished with strong claws, but their powers ofterrestrialloco- motion are very limited. On land, in fact, the Seals can only drag themselves along laboriously, chiefly by the contractions of the abdominal muscles. The ears are of small size, and are mostly only indicated by small apertures, which the animal has the power of closing when u
. A manual of zoology for the use of students : with a general introduction on the principles of zoology . Zoology. CARNIVORA. 575 able swimming apparatus, similar in its action to the horizontal tail-fin of the Cetacea and Sirenia. The tips of the toes are furnished with strong claws, but their powers ofterrestrialloco- motion are very limited. On land, in fact, the Seals can only drag themselves along laboriously, chiefly by the contractions of the abdominal muscles. The ears are of small size, and are mostly only indicated by small apertures, which the animal has the power of closing when under water. The bones are light and spongy, and beneath- the skin is a layer of fat or blubber. The dentition varies, but teeth of three kinds are always present, in the young animal at any rate. The canines are always lon^ and pointed, and the molars are generally furnished with sharp cutting Fig. 224.—The Greenland Seal {Pfwca Groenlandica). The section Pinnigrada includes the two families of the Seals {PJiocidcR) and Walruses (Trichecidce). The Seals are distinguished by having incisor teeth in both jaws, 'and by the fact that the canine teeth are not disproportionately developed. They form a very numerous family, of which species are found in almost every sea out of the limits of the tropics. They abound, however, especially in the seas of the Arctic and Antarctic regions. They live for the most part upon fish, and when avviake, spend the greater part of their time in the water, only coming on land to bask and sleep in the sun and to suckle their young. They appear to be universally polygamous. The body is covered with a short fur, interspersed with long bristly hairs; and the lips are furnished with long whiskers, which act as organs of touch. The Seals are very largely captured foi the sake of tneir Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of t
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