Research news on true seals (family)

True seals are marine mammals of the family Phocidae, within the order Carnivora and suborder Pinnipedia. They are characterized by the absence of external ear pinnae, hind limbs modified into posteriorly oriented flippers that cannot rotate under the body, and highly streamlined bodies adapted for efficient aquatic locomotion using lateral undulation of the trunk and hind flippers. Phocids exhibit extreme diving and thermoregulatory adaptations, including large blubber stores, high myoglobin concentrations, and specialized circulatory control. The family comprises multiple genera (e.g., Phoca, Halichoerus, Mirounga) distributed in polar, temperate, and some tropical waters, occupying diverse ecological niches as primarily piscivorous and cephalopod-feeding predators.