What is a quick way to tell a sea lion apart from a seal? True seals (also known as phocids) are referred to as “earless” because they lack the ear flaps that sea lions clearly have displayed on either side of their heads. That being said, there are small exceptions to this rule. Fur seals, for example, have noticeable ears and are more closely related to sea lions, their fellow otariids. Yet somehow we still refer to them as fur “seals.” And, just to add to the confusion, the Galapagos islands happen to be home to both Galapagos sea lions and Galapagos fur seals. The sea lions are much larger, have slightly longer snouts, large flippers and occupy a bigger range along sunny coasts. Fur seals, by contrast, are smaller, have shorter snouts, and slightly thicker fur and they tend to congregate in more shaded areas, mostly on the Isabela and Fernandina islands. Now that you know some of the differences between sea lions and fur seals, can you guess which animal is pictured in the images above? Leave your answer in the comments! #galapagos #biodiversity #photography #oceanconservation #oceaneducation