Long-necked seal

The long-necked seal (Phoca mutica) is a hypothetical species of earless seals. It was first described in 1681 by Nehemiah Grew, based on a skin of unknown provenance in the museum of the Royal Society.^[3] An illustration of this specimen was published by James Parsons in 1751.^[4] In 1792, Robert Kerr gave it the scientific name Phoca mutica.^[1] In 1800, George Shaw proposed the alternate scientific name Phoca longicollis.^[2] The skin has not been relocated since then, so the existence of the species remains unconfirmed.^[5][6]

Long-necked seal
Parsons' illustration of the long-necked seal (top)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Clade:	Pinnipedia
Family:	Phocidae
Genus:	Phoca
Species:	P. mutica
Binomial name
Phoca mutica Kerr, 1792[1]
Synonyms
Phoca longicollis Shaw, 1800[2]

References

1. Kerr, R. (1792). The Animal Kingdom, or Zoological System, of the Celebrated Sir Charles Linnaeus. Class I. Mammalia: Containing a Complete Systematic Description, Arrangement, and Nomenclature, of All the Known Species and Varieties of the Mammalia, or Animals Which Give Suck to Their Young; Being a Translation of That Part of the Systema Naturae, as Lately Published, with Great Improvements, by Professor Gmelin of Goettingen. Edinburgh, UK: A. Strahan, T. Cadell, & W. Creech. p. 127. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.57940.
2. Shaw, G. (1800). General Zoology or Systematic Natural History. Volume I. Part II. Mammalia. London, UK: G. Kearsley. p. 256. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.1593.
3. Grew, N. (1681). Musaeum Regalis Societatis. Or a Catalogue & Description of the Natural and Artificial Rarities Belonging to the Royal Society and Preserved at Gresham College. London, UK: Nehemiah Grew. p. 95. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.105136.
4. Parsons, J. (1751). "A dissertation upon the class of the phocae marinae". Philosophical Transactions. 47: 109–122. doi:10.1098/rstl.1751.0016.
5. Woodley, M.A.; Naish, D.; Shanahan, H.P. (2008). "How many extant pinniped species remain to be described?". Historical Biology. 20 (4): 225–235. Bibcode:2008HBio...20..225W. doi:10.1080/08912960902830210.
6. Marshall, M. (2012). "Lost treasures: The sea-monster seal". New Scientist. 213 (2850): 44. Bibcode:2012NewSc.213...44M. doi:10.1016/S0262-4079(12)60313-3.