Long-necked seal
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| Long-necked seal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parsons' illustration of the long-necked seal (top) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Caniformia |
| Parvorder: | Pinnipedia |
| Family: | Phocidae |
| Genus: | Phoca |
| Species: | P. mutica |
| Binomial name | |
| Phoca mutica | |
| Synonyms | |
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]