@inbook{10.1525/j.ctt1pnh5v.7, ISBN = {9780520270572}, URL = {http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt1pnh5v.7}, abstract = {In this chapter, I trace the origin and evolutionary history of the major lineages of fossil and living pinnipeds and the major structural and functional innovations that shape their biology and behavior.Pinnipeds, or “fin-footed” carnivores, are divided into three groups: seals (phocids), fur seals and sea lions (otariids), and walruses (odobenids). There are 34–36 extant species of pinnipeds, excluding the Caribbean monk seal (Monachus tropicalis) and the Japanese sea lion (Zalophus japonicus), which only recently went extinct. Both species vanished due to human activities. The largest pinnipeds are elephant seals,Miroungaspecies, with males reaching more than 5}, author = {James L. Sumich and Carl Buell}, bookauthor = {Annalisa Berta}, booktitle = {Return to the Sea: The Life and Evolutionary Times of Marine Mammals}, edition = {1}, pages = {51--78}, publisher = {University of California Press}, title = {Pinniped Diversity, Evolution, and Adaptations}, year = {2012} }