Learning Center What is a mineral?The most common minerals on earth Information for Educators Mindat Articles The Elements The Rock H. Currier Digital Library Geologic Time

Minerals by Properties Minerals by Chemistry Advanced Locality Search Random Mineral Random Locality Search by minID Localities Near Me Search Articles Search Glossary More Search Options

The Mindat Manual Add a New Photo Rate Photos Locality Edit Report Coordinate Completion Report Add Glossary Item

Mining Companies Statistics Users Mineral Museums Clubs & Organizations Mineral Shows & Events The Mindat Directory Device Settings The Mineral Quiz

Photo Search Photo Galleries Search by Color New Photos Today New Photos Yesterday Members' Photo Galleries Past Photo of the Day Gallery Photography

BETA TEST - Fossil data and pages are very much experimental and under development. Please report any problems

Halichoerus

Photos

Photo Gallery

Description

The grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is a large seal of the family Phocidae which are commonly referred to as "true seals" or "earless seals". It is the only species classified in the genus Halichoerus. Its name is spelled gray seal in the US; it is also known as Atlantic seal and the horsehead seal.

From Wikipedia article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halichoerus, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

Source Data

Source	ID	Link
Global Biodiversity Information Facility ID (GBIF)	2434805	https://www.gbif.org/species/2434805
PaleoBioDB ID (PBDB)	72116	https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=72116

Rank

genus

Taxonomy (GBIF,PBDB)

Life : Animalia : Chordata : Mammalia : Carnivora : Phocidae : Halichoerus

Taxonomic Status (GBIF)

accepted

Classification
(PBDB,GBIF)

Rank	Name	Author
-	Eukaryota
-	Opisthokonta	Cavalier-Smith 1987
kingdom	Animalia
-	Triploblastica	Lankester 1877
-	Nephrozoa	Jondelius et al. 2002
-	Deuterostomia	Grobben 1908
phylum	Chordata	Haeckel 1847
subphylum	Vertebrata	Lamarck 1801
superclass	Gnathostomata	Gegenbauer 1874
-	Osteichthyes
-	Sarcopterygii	Romer 1955
subclass	Dipnotetrapodomorpha
subclass	Tetrapodomorpha
-	Tetrapoda
-	Reptiliomorpha	Säve-Söderbergh 1934
-	Anthracosauria	Säve-Söderbergh 1934
-	Batrachosauria
-	Cotylosauria
-	Amniota	Haeckel 1866
-	Synapsida	Osborn 1903
-	Therapsida
infraorder	Cynodontia
-	Epicynodontia	Hopson and Kitching 2001
infraorder	Eucynodontia	Kemp 1982
-	Probainognathia	Hopson 1990
-	Mammaliamorpha	Rowe 1988
-	Mammaliaformes	Rowe 1988
class	Mammalia	Linnaeus 1758
subclass	Tribosphenida
infraclass	Eutheria
-	Placentalia	Owen 1837
-	Laurasiatheria	Waddell et al. 1999
-	Scrotifera	Waddell et al. 1999
-	Ferae	Linnaeus 1758
-	Carnivoramorpha	Wyss and Flynn 1993
-	Carnivoraformes	Flynn et al.
order	Carnivora	Bowditch 1821
superfamily	Arctoidea	Flower 1869
-	Pinnipedimorpha	Berta et al. 1989
-	Pinnipedia
family	Phocidae	Gray 1821
subfamily	Phocinae	Gray 1821
genus	Halichoerus	Nilsson 1820

Common Name

grey seal

Scientific Name

Halichoerus Nilsson, 1820

Name Published In

Skand. Fauna, Dagg. Djur.: 376

Opinions (PBDB)

Name	Rank	Opinion	Evidence	Author
Halichoerus	genus	belongs to Phocidae	stated without evidence	Gray, 1850
Halichoerus	genus	belongs to Phocinae	stated without evidence	Gill, 1866
Halichoerus	genus	belongs to Trichechinae	stated without evidence	Gray, 1866
Halichoerus	genus	belongs to Halichoerina	stated without evidence	Gray, 1871
Halichoerus	genus	belongs to Phocinae	stated without evidence	Allen, 1880
Halichoerus	genus	belongs to Phocinae	stated with evidence	Turner, 1912
Halichoerus	genus	belongs to Phocinae	stated without evidence	Friant, 1947
Halichoerus	genus	belongs to Phocini	stated without evidence	Scheffer and Rice, 1963
Halichoerus	genus	belongs to Phocinae	stated without evidence	Kurten and Anderson, 1980
Halichoerus	genus	belongs to Phocini	stated without evidence	Muizon, 1981
Halichoerus	genus	belongs to Phocinae	stated without evidence	Riedman, 1990
Halichoerus	genus	belongs to Phocini	implied	McKenna and Bell, 1997
Halichoerus	genus	belongs to Phocinina	stated without evidence	Koretsky, 2001
Halichoerus	genus	belongs to Phocinae	stated without evidence	Berta, 2002
Halichoerus	genus	belongs to Phocinae	stated with evidence	Deméré et al., 2003
Halichoerus	genus	belongs to Phocini	stated without evidence	Davis et al., 2004
Halichoerus	genus	belongs to Phocinae	stated with evidence	Berta, 2009
Halichoerus	genus	belongs to Phocina	stated without evidence	Fulton and Strobeck, 2010
Halichoerus	genus	belongs to Phocinae	stated with evidence	Berta, 2018
Halichoerus	genus	belongs to Phocini	stated without evidence	Berta et al., 2018

Status (PBDB)

extant

Taxon Size (PBDB)

Extant Size (PBDB)

3 (100%)

First Recorded Appearance

2.59 - 0.01 Ma
Pleistocene

Environment

marine (based on Pinnipedia)

Motility

actively mobile (based on Osteichthyes)

Diet

piscivore, carnivore (based on Phocidae)

Reproduction

viviparous (based on Pinnipedimorpha)

Ontogeny

modification of parts (based on Pinnipedimorpha)

Taphonomy

hydroxylapatite (based on Pinnipedimorpha)

Primary Reference (PBDB)

M. C. McKenna and S. K. Bell. 1997. Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level

Common Name(s)

Grey Seal, Gray Seals

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halichoerus

External Images

Fossil Distribution

Subtaxa

Name	Status	Common Name(s)	Fossil Occurrences	Oldest	Youngest
Halichoerus (Halichoerus) subgenus	listed (PBDB)				0 Ma Extant
Halichoerus antarcticus species	accepted (GBIF)	No associated record in PBDB
Halichoerus grypus species	accepted (GBIF) listed (PBDB)	Grey Seal	16	2.59 Ma Pleistocene	0 Ma Extant

Obsolete Names

Name	Source	Taxon Rank	Taxonomy
Halycherus Lesson, 1842	GBIF	genus	Animalia : Chordata : Mammalia : Carnivora : Phocidae : *Halycherus*
Halicherus Lesson, 1842	GBIF	genus	Animalia : Chordata : Mammalia : Carnivora : Phocidae : *Halicherus*
Halychoerus Boitard, 1842	GBIF	genus	Animalia : Chordata : Mammalia : Carnivora : Phocidae : *Halychoerus*
Halychaerus Brookes, 1828	GBIF	genus	Animalia : Chordata : Mammalia : Carnivora : Phocidae : *Halychaerus*
Halichaerus Bell, 1836	GBIF	genus	Animalia : Chordata : Mammalia : Carnivora : Phocidae : *Halichaerus*

Synonymy List

Year	Name and Author
1820	Halichoerus Nilsson p. 376
1850	Halichoerus Gray p. 29
1866	Halichoerus Gill p. 5
1866	Halichoerus Gray p. 33
1871	Halichoerus Gray p. 3
1880	Halichoerus Allen p. 682
1898	Halichoerus Trouessart p. 381
1904	Halichoerus Trouessart p. 284
1912	Halichoerus Turner p. 189
1947	Halichoerus Friant p. 6
1963	Halichoerus Scheffer and Rice p. 3
1970	Halichoerus Burns and Fay p. 390 figs. Fig. 3
1980	Halichoerus Kurten and Anderson p. 206
1981	Halichoerus Muizon p. 135
1990	Halichoerus Riedman p. 57 figs. Table 2
1997	Halichoerus McKenna and Bell p. 258
2001	Halichoerus Koretsky p. 85
2002	Halichoerus Berta p. 923
2003	Halichoerus Deméré et al. p. 49 figs. Fig. 3.3
2004	Halichoerus Davis et al. p. 365
2009	Halichoerus Berta p. 863
2010	Halichoerus Fulton and Strobeck p. 817 figs. FIgure 1
2018	Halichoerus Berta p. 715 figs. Fig. 3C
2018	Halichoerus Berta et al. p. 210 figs. Fig. 2
2019	Halichoerus Kienle and Berta

Year	Name and Author
1820	Halichoerus Nilsson p. 376
1850	Halichoerus Gray p. 29
1866	Halichoerus Gill p. 5
1866	Halichoerus Gray p. 33
1871	Halichoerus Gray p. 3
1880	Halichoerus Allen p. 682
1898	Halichoerus Trouessart p. 381
1904	Halichoerus Trouessart p. 284
1912	Halichoerus Turner p. 189
1947	Halichoerus Friant p. 6
1963	Halichoerus Scheffer and Rice p. 3
1970	Halichoerus Burns and Fay p. 390 figs. Fig. 3
1980	Halichoerus Kurten and Anderson p. 206
1981	Halichoerus Muizon p. 135
1990	Halichoerus Riedman p. 57 figs. Table 2
1997	Halichoerus McKenna and Bell p. 258
2001	Halichoerus Koretsky p. 85
2002	Halichoerus Berta p. 923
2003	Halichoerus Deméré et al. p. 49 figs. Fig. 3.3
2004	Halichoerus Davis et al. p. 365
2009	Halichoerus Berta p. 863
2010	Halichoerus Fulton and Strobeck p. 817 figs. FIgure 1
2018	Halichoerus Berta p. 715 figs. Fig. 3C
2018	Halichoerus Berta et al. p. 210 figs. Fig. 2
2019	Halichoerus Kienle and Berta

References

McKenna M. C., Bell S. K. (1997) , Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level, 1-640

Gray J. E. , Catalogue of the Mammalia in the collection of the British Museum, with descriptions of all the species and figures of the genera. Part II. Seals, 1-48

Gill T. Prodrome of a monograph of the pinnipedes, Proceedings of the Essex Institute 5 1, 1-13

Gray J. E. , Catalogue of Seals and Whales in the British Museum, 1-402

Allen J. A. History of North American Pinnipeds, US Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, Miscellaneous Publications 12, 1-785

Trouessart E. L. , Catalogus mammalium tam viventium quam fossilum 5, 665-1264

Trouessart E. L. (1904) , Catalogus Mammalium Tam Viventium Quam Fossilium, Fourth Edition, 1-929

Friant M. (1947) Recherches sur le femur des phocidae, Bulletin du Musee royal d'Hisoire naturelle de Belgique 23 2, 1-51

Scheffer V. B., Rice D. W. (1963) A list of the marine mammals of the world, United States Fish and Wildlife Service Special Scientific Report - Fisheries 431, 1-12

Burns J. J., Fay F. H. (1970) Comparative morphology of the skull of the Ribbon seal, Histriophoca fasciata, with remarks on the systematics of Phocidae, Journal of Zoology 161, 363-394

Kurten B., Anderson E. (1980) , Pleistocene mammals of North America, 1-442

Muizon C. (1981) Les vertebres fossiles de la Formation Pisco (Perou). Premiere parti: Deux nouveaux Monachina (Phocidae, Mammalia) du Pliocene de Sud-Sacaco, Recherche sur les grandes civilisations Memoire 6, 1-150

Riedman M. (1990) The Pinnipeds: Seals, Sea Lions, and Walruses, 1-439

Koretsky I. (2001) Morphology and systematics of Miocene Phocinae (Mammalia: Carnivora) from Paratethys and the North Atlantic region, Geologica Hungarica Series Palaeontologica 54, 1-109

Deméré T. A., Berta A., et al (2003) Pinnipedimorph evolutionary biogeography, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 279, 32-76

Davis C. S., Delisle I., et al (2004) A phylogeny of the extant Phocidae inferred from complete mitochondrial DNA coding regions, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 33, 363-377

Berta A. (2009) Pinniped Evolution, Encyclopedia of Marine Mammal Evolution, 861-868

Fulton T. L., Strobeck C. (2010) Multiple fossil calibrations, nuclear loci and mitochondrial genomes provide new insight into biogeography and divergence timing for true seals (Phocidae, Pinnipedia), Journal of Biogeography 37, 814-829

Berta A. (2018) Pinniped evolution, Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, 712-722

Berta A., Churchill M., et al (2018) The Origin and Evolutionary Biology of Pinnipeds: Seals, Sea Lions, and Walruses, Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 46, 203-228 doi:10.1146/annurev-earth-082517-010009

Kienle S. S., Berta A. (2019) The evolution of feeding strategies in phocid seals (Pinnipedia, Phocidae), Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, e1559172

Aphia2006 - via The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera

Nomenclator Zoologicus. A list of the names of genera and subgenera in zoology from the tenth edition of Linnaeus, 1758 to the end of 2004. Digitised by uBio from vols. 1-9 of Neave (ed.), 1939-1996 plus supplementary digital-only volume. http://ubio.org/NomenclatorZoologicus (as at 2006). - via The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera

SN2000/McKenna & Bell, 1997 - via The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera

Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M. (editors). (2005). Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd Ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. 2,142 pp. - via The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera

WoRMS (Mar 2013) - via The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera

Hall, R. (2004) Däggdjur - via Dyntaxa. Svensk taxonomisk databas

Skand. Fauna, Dagg-Djur - via The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera

SN2000/McKenna & Bell, 1997, PaleoDB - via The Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera

van der Land, J. (2001). Tetrapoda, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 375-376 - via World Register of Marine Species

Jefferson, T.A.; Leatherwood, S.; Webber, M.A. (1993). Marine mammals of the world. FAO Species identification guide. FAO: Rome, Italy. ISBN 92-5-103292-0. VIII, 320 pp. - via World Register of Marine Species

Wilson, Don E., and DeeAnn M. Reeder, eds., 2005: null. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, 3rd ed., vols. 1 & 2. 2142. - via Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)

Wilson, Don E., and DeeAnn M. Reeder, eds., 1992: null. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, 2nd ed., 3rd printing. xviii + 1207. - via Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)

Banks, R. C., R. W. McDiarmid, and A. L. Gardner, 1987: Checklist of Vertebrates of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and Canada. Resource Publication, no. 166. 79. - via Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)

Rice, Dale W., 1998: Marine Mammals of the World: Systematics and Distribution. Special Publications of the Society for Marine Mammals, no. 4. ix + 231. - via Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)

International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. Opinion 91 Thirty-five generic names of Mammals placed on the Official List of Generic Names.Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 73(4), 1 (1926) - via Official Lists and Indexes of Names in Zoology

Data courtesy of: PBDB: The Paleobiology Database, Creative Commons CC-BY licenced. , GBIF: the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, various licences, iDigBio, various licences, and EOL: The Encyclopedia of Life (Open Data Public Domain). Because fossils are made of minerals too!

Quick NavTop External Images Fossil Distribution Subtaxa Obsolete Names Synonymy List References

Mindat.org is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2024, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: May 3, 2024 18:35:56

Go to top of page