Pinniped

pinniped, (suborder Pinnipedia), any of a group of 34 species of aquatic fin-footed mammals comprising seals, sea lions, and the walrus. Pinnipeds live only in rich marine environments and a few inland or tropical freshwater systems.

elephant seal

Shaped like torpedoes, pinnipeds have wide torsos and narrower hindquarters. They are extremely awkward on land but swift and graceful in the water. Their slitlike nostrils can be closed underwater, and externally the ears are either small or entirely absent. All have short fur, the walrus having almost none, and the tail is vestigial. Length ranges from 1.1 to 6.5 metres (3.6 to 21 feet), and weights range from about 30 kg (66 pounds) in some female fur seals to 3,700 kg in male elephant seals (genus Mirounga).