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Pinnipeds are typically sleek bodied and rather large. The smallest pinniped, the Galapagos Fur Seal weighs about 30 kg when full-grown and is 1.2 metres long; the largest, the male Southern Elephant SealSouthern Elephant Seal space for image : Eukaryota : Animalia : Chordata : Mammalia : Carnivora : Pinnipedia : Phocidae Mirounga leonina Binomial name Mirounga leonina Linnaeus, 1758 The Southern Elephant Seal ''Mirounga leonina is one of two species of e, is over 4 metres long and weighs up to 2,200 kg. All are carnivorous and live on fish, shellfish, squid, and other marine creatures.

It has long been believed that the pinnipeds are descended from a land-based carnivore, something approximately like a dog that has undergone aquatic adaptationSeveral mammal groups have undergone aquatic adaptation going from being purely terrestrial animals to living at least part of the time in water. The adaptations in early speciation tend to develop as the animal ventures into water in order to find availa. During the 20th century19th century 20th century 21st century more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901- 2000 in the sense of the Gre there was considerable debate about the relationship between them; some taxonomistsTaxonomy may refer to either a hierarchical classification of things, or the principles underlying the classification. Almost anythinganimate objects, inanimate objects, places, and eventsmay be classified according to some taxonomic scheme. Mathematicall maintaining the traditional view that they share a common ancestor, others suggesting that the eared seals (sea lions and fur seals) are distinct from the true seals, and that the similarities between the two groups are the result of convergent evolutionConvergent evolution is an evolutionary process in which organisms not closely related independently acquire some characteristic or characteristics in common. This usually reflects similar responses to similar environmental conditions. Structures that are. If this were so, Pinnipedia would be a polyphyletic grouping with no taxonomic meaning. Recent studies of mitochondrial DNA, however, have strongly supported the monophyletic hypothesis: that is, the evidence is currently on the side of a single-ancestor theory. Recent studies indicate that the most closely-related land carnivores are the bears (family Ursidae).