Sea lions and walruses belong to the same type of animals named the pinnipeds. They are different based on what they feed, their characteristics, behaviour, and living conditions with respective habitats.
Key Takeaways
- Sea lions and walruses are two aquatic mammals found in different regions of the world and have some noticeable differences.
- Sea lions are smaller, have visible external ear flaps, and are known for their acrobatic abilities on land and in water, while walruses are larger and have long tusks used for defence and breaking the ice.
- Sea lions are social animals that form large colonies, while walruses are more solitary and prefer to live in smaller groups.
Sea Lions vs Walrus
Sea lions have external flaps near their ears, which helps them move faster. On the other hand, walruses do not have any outer flaps to their body, which would have enabled them to move fast and given them an external feature to their appearance, unlike seal 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 known as the override family.
These types of mammals are commonly known to ordinary 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: 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 do 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 found in both hemispheres, the subarctic to the tropical waters. | The walrus is found in the northern hemisphere in the Arctic and subarctic seas. |
| Comparison of size | Sea lions are small in size as compared to walruses. | Walrus are huge as compared to sea lions. |
| Tusks and stiff | Tusks and stiff whiskers are smaller in sea lions as compared to walruses. | Tusks and stiff whiskers are long in walruses 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 known as the override family.
There are such wide varieties of sea lions worldwide; 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, and California Sea Lion.
Sea lions have a body type that looks like a torpedo shape. This helps them for gliding in water.
They have excellent eyesight and can see better inside water than on land. They always live in herds on water and land. Sea lions are so fast that they can cover 25 kilometres per hour.
What is Walrus?
The walrus is an aquatic mammal. There lie about two species of walrus: 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 colour 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 colour. Their body structure comprises a round head and small eyes with no external flaps near the ears.
The walruses’ tusks are used when mating by them. They are also used sometimes while defending themselves from other walruses.
They feed on a depth of not more than 80 cm. During the winter season, the male walrus mate with multiple female walruses.
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, walruses do not have any outer flaps as such to their body.
- A baby sea lion is called a pup; conversely, a baby walrus is called a calve.
- Sea lions are found in both hemispheres, the subarctic to the tropical waters. On the Other hand, walrus are found in the northern hemisphere in the Arctic and subarctic seas.
- Sea lions are small in size compared to walruses, and on the other hand, walruses are enormous compared to sea lions.
- Tusks and stiff whiskers are smaller in sea lions than in walruses, and on the other hand, tusks and stiff whiskers are longer in walruses than in 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
Last Updated : 11 June, 2023
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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.
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I agree. The comparison table is especially helpful in understanding the distinct features of sea lions and walruses.
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While the article presents valuable information about sea lions and walruses, it could benefit from a more critical analysis of the conservation efforts for these species.
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