Menoducational; some interesting things

When I posted The Ramble, there were a couple of commenters intrigued by the comparison of seals with dogs (in a nice way). Many a long year past I had picked up the info-byte of seals being a relation to dogs and likewise bears.  Possibly courtesy of that denizen of tele-programming in the natural world, David Attenborough.

Anyway, when I went out on that one sunny day with the Fudge's first 'run' I was thrilled to spot some movement in the middle of the firth.  Sure enough there was mother and two sturdy pups.  One pup was on a separate rock - totally sun-bathing!!!

A little bit of a look-around the etherwebs took me to KnowledgeNuts, where I found the following;

Dogs may be thought of as either their own group, or a slightly removed counterpart to the cat. However, dogs (Caniformes) find much closer relatives in the water, not among cats (Feliformes). Sea lions and seals are not related to other marine mammals, but are actually Caniformes, just like bears and the domestic dog.

Seals and the rather incorrectly named “sea lions” are carnivores, very similar to land predators. These animals are not in any way closely related to whales, but they do have a surprisingly close link to modern bears, dogs, and weasels. Cats compose an entirely different sub-order of the carnivore group known as Feliformes, which are not represented in water.Pinnipeds possess massive canine teeth that may compete with the most powerful Rottweiler guard dog, and thus should be considered the oceangoing equivalent of a wolf or even a small bear. 

Their order name, “Caniformia,” literally means “dog-like.”When you see one of these flipper-equipped aquatic animals, you should remember you are basically looking at a very specifically evolved, fish-eating water canine. When examined, the flippers of some pinnipeds will show remaining hind claws that rather resemble human nails. Maybe it’s time to start calling sea lions “sea bears” or “water dogs.”