Nature Awareness 4/26/2014 - Seal/Sea Lion (Pinnipeds) Have you ever wondered about the main differences between seals and their second cousins, the sea lions? Both seals and sea lions, together with the walrus, are pinnipeds, which means fin footed in Latin. But seals furry, generally stubby front feet — thinly webbed flippers, actually, with a claw on each small toe — seem petite in comparison to the mostly skin-covered, elongated fore flippers that sea lions possess. Secondly, sea lions have small flaps for outer ears. The earless or true seals lack external ears altogether. You have to get very close to see the tiny holes on the sides of a seal’s sleek head. Third, sea lions are noisy. Seals are quieter, vocalizing via soft grunts. Fourth, while both species spend time both in and out of the water, seals are better adapted to live in the water than on land. Though their bodies can appear chubby, seals are generally smaller and more aquadynamic than sea lions. At the same time, their hind flippers angle backward and dont rotate. This makes them fast in the water but basic belly crawlers on terra firma. Sea lions, on the other hand, are able to walk on land by rotating their hind flippers forward and underneath their big bodies. However, even with their difference, both pinnipeds share the bulk of their totemic interpretations. Seals and sea lions are highly symbolic of our feeling, sensual selves. Remember the myth of the selkie?... The whole center of the story is based upon this ancient symbolic premise. They help us to remember our connection to our deep inner rhythms, feelings, and knowings, as represented by the sea. As humans generally believe themselves to be apart from ‘animals’, when really we are a-part of them, we often fight giving in to these deep rhythms and are afraid of ‘losing’ what we consider to be ourselves. When we are afraid of drowning in these depths, seals and sea lions show us how to flow with the ever changing current, reminding us how to swim with the most prevalent direction. When we do this, the negative feelings we have created such as worry, fear, and anxiety are released from our minds. If seal/sea lion enters your life, you are being asked to review the ebb and flow of your thoughts and emotions and find and keep up a point of balance. Symbolism: protection during change, dreaming and lucid dreaming, imagination, creativity, protection from danger, movement through emotions, the inner voice and self, the primordial self.
Posted on: Sat, 26 Apr 2014 13:14:57 +0000
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