Puijila

Puijila Temporal range: Late Oligocene - Early Miocene, 24–21 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Restored skeleton
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	†Semantoridae
Genus:	†Puijila Rybczynski et al., 2009
Species:	†P. darwini
Binomial name
†Puijila darwini Rybczynski et al., 2009

Puijila darwini is an extinct species of stem-pinniped (seal) which lived during the Miocene about 21 to 24 million years ago. About a metre (3 feet) long, the animal had only minimal physical adaptations for swimming. Unlike modern pinnipeds, it did not have flippers and its shape was otter-like, albeit more specialized; its skull and teeth are the features that most clearly indicate that it is a seal.^[1]

It is considered to be the most primitive pinnipedimorph yet found. The genus name is an Inuktitut word for a young seal; the species name honours Charles Darwin.^[2] The holotype and only known specimen is a nearly complete fossil skeleton. It is housed at the Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Ontario.