sea puppy

English

a sea puppy of the species Zalophus californianus

a sea puppy of the species Arctocephalus pusillus

Etymology

The nickname comes from their resemblance to dogs in various respects, which is largely explainable by their phylogenetic relation to dogs; and the fact that they live in the sea.

Noun

sea puppy (plural sea puppies)

2. (colloquial, humorous, diminutive, nickname) A seal, especially one of the cutest and furriest kinds of seal, such as a fur seal or a sea lion, and most especially a juvenile thereof.

   Coordinate term: sky puppy (a bat)

Further reading

• Cascada, Laura Lee (31 May 2020), “Need a Breath of Fresh Air? Two Words: Sea Puppies.”, in The Every Animal Project‎^[1]
• Naddaf, Rachelle (28 March 2021), “Watch: Sea Lions are the Puppies of the Sea”, in Oceana Canada‎^[2]