Sea lions and walrus belong to the same types of animals named the pinnipeds.Both have they are different based on what they feed, their characteristic, behavior, and living conditions with respective habitat.
Sea Lions vs Walrus
Sea lion have external flaps near their ears which helps them move faster, and on the other hand, the walrus does not have any external flaps as such to their body which would have helped them move fast and given them an external feature to their appearance, unlike seal lions.
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Sea lions are aquatic animals that belong to the pinnipeds category of the family. Seals and sea lions all belong to the same family, which is knows as the override family.
These types of mammals are commonly known to common people as eared seals. In some regions and countries, they are also called fur seals.
The botanical name of a walrus is (Odobenus rosmarus). There lie about two species of walrus that are the Atlantic walrus and the Pacific walrus.
The botanical name of the Atlantic walrus is (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) and that of Pacific walrus is (O. rosmarus divergens).
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Sea Lions | Walrus |
|---|---|---|
| External flaps | Sea lions have external flaps near their ears. | Walrus does not have any external flaps as such to their body. |
| Babies called | A baby sea lion is called a pup. | A baby walrus is called a calve. |
| Found in | Sea lions are usually found in both hemispheres that is the subarctic to the tropical waters. | The walrus is usually found in the northern hemisphere in the Arctic and subarctic seas. |
| Comparison of size | Sea lions are small in size as compared to walrus. | Walrus are huge in size as compared to sea lions. |
| Tusks and stiff | Tusks and stiff whiskers are smaller in sea lions as compared to walrus. | Tusks and stiff whiskers are long in walrus as compared to sea lions. |
What is Sea Lions?
Sea lions are aquatic animals that belong to the pinnipeds category of the family. Seals and sea lions all belong to the same family, which is knows as the override family.
There are so many varieties of sea lions all over the world, and out of them, there are seven well-known types of seal lions. They are the Japanese Sea Lion, Australian Sea Lion, South America Sealion, New Zealand Sea Lion, Galapagos Sea Lion, Steller Sea Lion, California Sea Lion.
Sea lions have a body type that looks like a torpedo shape. This helps them for gliding in water.
They have amazing eyesight and can see better inside water than on land. They always live in herds in water and land. Sea lions are so fast that they can cover a speed of 25 kilometers per hour.
What is Walrus?
The walrus is an aquatic mammal. There lie about two species of walrus that are the Atlantic walrus and the Pacific walrus. The botanical name of the Atlantic walrus is (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) and that of Pacific walrus is (O. rosmarus divergens).
The skin, which is grey in the color of a walrus, is about 2 inches thick. They have deep folds around their shoulder.
Walrus have skin with reddish hair, which makes them look cinnamon in color. Their body structure computes of a round head and small eyes having no external flaps near the ears.
The tusks of walrus are usually used at the time of mating by them. They are also used sometimes while defending themselves from other walrus.
They feed on a depth of not more than 80 cms. At the time of the winter season, the male walrus mate with multiple female walrus.
Main Differences Between Seal Lions and Walrus
- Sea lions have external flaps near their ears which helps them move faster, and on the other hand, the walrus does not have any external flaps as such to their body.
- A baby sea lion is called a pup, and on the other hand, a baby walrus is called a calve.
- Sea lions are usually found in both hemispheres that is the subarctic to the tropical waters, and on the Other hand, the walrus is usually found in the northern hemisphere in the Arctic and subarctic seas.
- Sea lions are small in size as compared to walrus, and on the other hand, walrus are huge in size as compared to sea lions.
- Tusks and stiff whiskers are smaller in sea lions as compared to walrus, and on the other hand, tusks and stiff whiskers are long in walrus as compared to sea lions.
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=McNEUgU8Q58C&oi=fnd&pg=PR17&dq=sea+lions+and+walrus&ots=hrYABWvWjN&sig=z_QVpgSGl11NdBPQNpoDCwrpyEI
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959438814001238
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
