Phoca
Sign in to savePhoca ( ) is a genus of the earless seals, (Phocidae). It now contains just two species, the common seal (or harbour seal) and the spotted seal (or largha seal). Several species formerly listed under this genus have been split into the genera Pusa, Pagophilus, and Histriophoca. Until recently, Phoca largha has been considered a subspecies of Phoca vitulina but now is considered its own species. For this reason, the fossil history of the genus is unclear, and it has formerly been used as wastebasket taxon for a number of fossils of uncertain affinity.
Taxonomy · GBIF
GENUS
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassMammalia
- OrderCarnivora
- FamilyPhocidae
via GBIF · CC0
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Image
- Common Seal Phoca vitulina.jpg
Show 4 more facts
- P105
- genus
- P910
- Category:Phoca
- P1889
- Foka
via Wikidata · CC0
Article
3 sectionsContents
- Species
- Mating ecology
- References
Phoca ( ) is a genus of the earless seals, (Phocidae). It now contains just two species, the common seal (or harbour seal) and the spotted seal (or largha seal). Several species formerly listed under this genus have been split into the genera Pusa, Pagophilus, and Histriophoca. Until recently, Phoca largha has been considered a subspecies of Phoca vitulina but now is considered its own species. For this reason, the fossil history of the genus is unclear, and it has formerly been used as wastebasket taxon for a number of fossils of uncertain affinity.
==Species== Currently there are two confirmed members: