earless seal

earless seal

n.

Any of various seals of the family Phocidae, which includes the hair seals, characterized by short fore flippers, reduced hind flippers specialized for swimming, and the absence of external ears. Also called true seal.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

earless seal - any of several seals lacking external ear flaps and having a stiff hairlike coat with hind limbs reduced to swimming flippers hair seal, true seal seal - any of numerous marine mammals that come on shore to breed; chiefly of cold regions family Phocidae, Phocidae - earless seals common seal, harbor seal, Phoca vitulina - small spotted seal of coastal waters of the northern hemisphere harp seal, Pagophilus groenlandicus - common Arctic seal; the young are all white elephant seal, sea elephant - either of two large northern Atlantic earless seals having snouts like trunks bearded seal, Erignathus barbatus, squareflipper square flipper - medium-sized greyish to yellow seal with bristles each side of muzzle; of the Arctic Ocean bladdernose, Cystophora cristata, hooded seal - medium-sized blackish-grey seal with large inflatable sac on the head; of Arctic and northern Atlantic waters