A carnivorous aquatic mammal of the order Pinnipedia, such as a seal or walrus.
‘Killer whales also prey on mammals such as other cetaceans and pinnipeds, as well as on birds and large fish.’
‘Porpoising is a behavioral strategy used by small cetaceans and pinnipeds moving at high speed near the water surface.’
‘This sensitivity could provide a means to track a dead whale's scent from miles away or find a pinniped rookery or haul-out site from their excrement droppings carried by the oceans currents.’
‘Many arctic pinnipeds migrate with the movement of food, but also with the seasonal movement of the ice pack.’
‘Results of seasonality studies of ringed seal canines, in addition to pinniped ratios, show the importance of the floe-edge habitat to Nugumiut residents in outer Frobisher Bay.’
adjective
Zoology
Relating to or denoting pinnipeds.
‘We tested 42 microsatellite loci isolated from five pinniped species in a sample of 52 pups.’
‘A healthy avoidance of pinniped colonies is another way to minimize human fatalities.’
‘They look like seals, but sea lions actually belong to a different pinniped family.’
‘Dr. Ronald Schusterman and his crew of students and researchers are investigating the comparative abilities of three pinniped species, including the California sea lion.’
‘The living pinniped carnivores tend toward homodonty in the postcanine dentition and lack functional tooth replacement altogether.’
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