Anatomy
Adult phocids vary from 1.17 meters (3.8 ft) in length and 45 kilograms (99 lb) in weight, in the ringed seal, to 4.9 meters (16 ft) and 2,400 kilograms (5,300 lb) in the southern elephant seal.
Phocids are more specialized for aquatic life than otariids. They lack external ears and have sleek, streamlined bodies. Retractable nipples, internal testicles and an internal penis sheath provide further streamlining. A smooth layer of blubber lies underneath the skin. Phocids are able to divert blood flow to this layer to help control their temperatures.
Read more about this topic: Earless Seal
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Man is a shrewd inventor, and is ever taking the hint of a new machine from his own structure, adapting some secret of his own anatomy in iron, wood, and leather, to some required function in the work of the world.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
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