Seals are a wide spread and diverse group of fin footed, semiaquatic, marine mammals. Seals belong to the order Carnivora. Their closest living relatives are bears, otters, weasels, and raccoons.
There are three types of seal families:
Odobenidae: whose only living (extant) member is the walrus;
Otariidae: the eared seals ( sea lions and fur seals); and
Phocidae: the earless, or true seals.
The smallest seal is the Baikal seal at around 1 meter (3ft 3in) long and 45 kilograms (100lbs). The biggest is the southern elephant seal, at over 5 m (16ft) and 3 ton (6,600lb), making it also the largest carnivoran.
Seals spend most of their lives in the water, but come ashore to mate, give birth, or escape from predators, like sharks and killer whales. Seals have streamlined bodies and four limbs in the form of flippers, that act as paddles in the water. They are not as fast in the water as dolphins, but much more flexible and agile. Fur seals and sea lions use their front limbs primarily to propel themselves through the water.

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