Fur seals are any of nine species of
pinnipeds in the
Otariidae family. One species, the
northern fur seal (
Callorhinus ursinus) inhabits the North Pacific, while seven species in the
Arctocephalus genus are found primarily in the Southern Hemisphere. They are much more closely related to
sea lions than
true seals, and share with them external ears (
pinnae), relatively long and muscular foreflippers, and the ability to walk on all fours. They are marked by their dense
underfur, which made them a long-time object of commercial
hunting.