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Classification
Seals and walruses are classed as Pinnipedia, a type of mammal. Pinnipeds have four flippers in total, a pair of front flippers and a pair of back flippers. They also have a thick layer of blubber, which is an insulated layer of fat, and are warm-blooded animals. Other similarities between walruses and seals include having sensitive whiskers called vibrissae and both split their time between land and water.
Subspecies
There is only one family of walrus. The subspecies are associated with where they're located: the Atlantic walrus in the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific walrus in the Pacific Ocean. However, there are two families of seals -- the eared seal and the true seal. The eared seal has two subspecies. They are sea lions and fur seals. Earless seals, called true seals, include the elephant, harp, weddell, leopard and Hawaiian monk seal.
Physical Features
Seals and walruses all have long bodies that they shuffle along the ground to move. Walruses are the only ones to have long tusks. They use them to help lift their bodies out or water and as a weapon to protect against other walruses. Walruses and earless seals don't have ears. The true seal can be identified by its ears.
Geographical Location
Walruses can be found in isolated areas, which mean the subspecies do not interbreed. Pacific walruses live in the Chukchi, Laptev and Bering seas. Atlantic walruses live in the coastal regions of northeastern Canada and Greenland. The true seal is found in the polar, subpolar and temperate climates. The tropical monk seal is the only true seal found in Hawaii. The eared seal is found in equatorial and southern waters, including the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Ocean. Unlike the true seal, it's not in the north Atlantic.
Predators
Both types of seals are prey to much larger mammals in the ocean. Killer whales and sharks feed on both true and eared seals. It is believed that great white sharks attack humans on surfboard because they confuse them with seals. The walrus is also ideal food for a killer whale. Walruses also live in areas where they are prone to attacks from polar bears.
Diet
Walruses and both types of seals feed off small and medium marine life. Walruses can eat small marine life, including shrimp, snails, crabs and mussels. They also feed off medium-sized mammals like seals and whale carcasses. Fish is the main diet of a seal, although different subspecies eat other animals depending on the area they live in. For example, the northern elephant seal lives in deep water and therefore eats squid, small sharks and skates. The Steller sea lion also eat squid as well as harbor seals. The Hawaiian monk will eat animals native to Hawaii, including eels and lobsters.