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common seals
Phoca
Phoca ( FOH-kə) 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.
2 branches of this genus, most-observed first · about 2 known species
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Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
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In the old herbals & bestiaries
History of Monsters
Ulisse Aldrovandi · 1642 · p.918
History of Animals, Book II: On Oviparous Quadrupeds
Conrad Gessner · 1586 · p.734
History of Animals, Book II: On Oviparous Quadrupeds
Conrad Gessner · 1586 · p.734
History of Animals, Book II: On Oviparous Quadrupeds
Conrad Gessner · 1586 · p.531
History of Animals, Book II: On Oviparous Quadrupeds
Conrad Gessner · 1586 · p.532
De Piscibus Libri V et De Cetis Liber Unus
Ulisse Aldrovandi · 1661 · p.781
The Secrets of Albertus Magnus on the Nature of Women and the Virtues of Herbs
Albertus, Magnus, Heiliger · 1604 · p.66
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Phoca in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 41707.