A southern furseal Fur seals are one of the two distinct groups of mammals called "seals". They are members of family Otariidae. They are also called eared seals, or walking seals, to distinguish them from the earless seals of the family Phocidae.

Otariids are the less specialized for aquatic life of the two groups and, unlike phocids, have external ears and can bring their hind flippers under their body to walk on them.

Fur seals are more closely related to sea lions (also in the family Otariidae) and walruses (family Odobenidae) than they are to earless seals.