earless seal

American

noun

any seal of the family Phocidae, comprising seals that lack external ears and that use the hind flippers for swimming: land locomotion is accomplished by wriggling and by propelling with the front flippers.

earless seal British

noun

Also called: hair seal. any seal of the pinniped family Phocidae, typically having rudimentary hind limbs, no external earflaps, and a body covering of hair with no underfur Compare eared seal

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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And there is no doubt that one of these is as much above an earless seal as fifty years of Europe are better than a cycle of Cathay.

From Project Gutenberg

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