The flippers have a thin webbing of skin, enabling them to move through the water with grace. Seals can flex their toes to groom themselves or haul themselves out of water. The hind flippers angle toward the rear and cannot be rotated forward. This is a hindrance for seals. For a seal to move across dry land, it must balance its weight on to the fore flippers and crawl along using their bellies.
Seals have more girth than most of the other pinnipeds.
They are not as sleek and can even appear chubby. Even though they are disadvantaged on land, they move swiftly through the water. The front flippers serve as rudders for steering. The hind flippers allow the animal to thrust along in the water. It is with these combined adaptations that seals can move along through the water at speeds of 14 to 24 miles an hour.