海豹科（Phocidae）,源自拉丁文 phoca（"海豹"）,因为该科的所有成员都是海豹.

Phocidae, from Latin phoca (“seal”) in reference to the fact that all the members of this family are seals.

種的俗名 Common names of members

無耳海豹

Earless seals

分佈 Distribution

主要是北极和南极洲.

Mostly Arctic and Antarctica.

體型 Size

牠们的体长从 1.17 米、重 45 公斤到 5.8 米、重 4 000 公斤不等.

They vary from 1.17 m in length and 45 kg in weight to 5.8 m and 4,000 kg.

形態描述 Morphology

牠们的身体呈流线型纺锤形,两端变细,没有耳朵和长须.牠们的胸鳍（即前鳍）很短,蹼上有五个骨质指头.趾长大致相同,各有一个钝爪,长约一到两英寸.在水中,前鳍用于转向.有蹼的后蹼也有五个骨质指头.

They have streamlined fusiform bodies, tapered at both ends, with no ears and long whiskers. Their pectoral, or fore, flippers are short and webbed with five bony digits. The digits are about the same length and each has a blunt claw, around one to two inches long. In the water, the fore flippers are used for steering. The webbed hind flippers also have five bony digits.

生態與棲息地 Habitat & Ecology

海洋、浮冰、少数淡水区域.

Ocean, ice floes, a few in freshwater regions.

食性 Diet

牠们是食肉动物,捕食章鱼、龙虾、鱼类、鳗鱼、鲭鱼和鱿鱼,至少使用四种不同的捕食策略：吸食、抓握和撕裂捕食、过滤捕食和刺穿捕食.每种摄食策略都有专门的头骨、下颚和牙齿形态.然而,尽管形态特化,大多数噬齿类动物都是机会主义者,牠们采用多种策略捕捉和吃掉猎物.

Obligate carnivores, preying on octopuses, lobsters, fish, eels, mackerel, and squids, they make use of at least four different feeding strategies: suction feeding, grip, and tear feeding, filter feeding, and pierce feeding. Each of these feeding strategies is aided by a specialized skull, mandible, and tooth morphology. However, despite morphological specialization, most phocids are opportunistic and employ multiple strategies to capture and eat prey.

繁殖 Reproduction 

牠们在海滩或浮冰上交配.雄性会争夺领地.领地越大的雄性交配机会越多.雌性会在海滩或浮冰上产下幼崽,因为那里有丰富的食物供牠们产奶.

They mate on beaches or ice floes. The male will fight for territories. The male with larger territory will have more mating chances. Females give birth to pups on beaches or ice floes when food is abundant for them to produce milk.

已知的物種

Total species known

19

博物館收藏的物種

Species in the collection

2

在香港已知的物種

Species in Hong Kong

0

Reference

Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). Order Carnivora In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (Eds). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. Johns Hopkins University Press.

Macdonald, D. W. (2006). The Encyclopedia of mammals. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780199206087.001.0001.

Kienle, S. S., Berta, A. (2015). The better to eat you with: the comparative feeding morphology of phocid seals (Pinnipedia, Phocidae). Journal of Anatomy, 228(3), 396-413. https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.12410.