Relating to or affecting the true (earless) seals:phocine distemper virus...
Empirical study of behavior can help prevent disease in species of conservation concern like phocine distemper in grey seals.
The manager of the Orkney Seal Rescue Centre is playing down the significance of the first confirmed case of phocine distemper virus in Scotland, in a common seal washed ashore at Dornoch last month.
The latest outbreak of phocine distemper virus has already killed more than 1,500 seals in other parts of Britain.
Origin
Mid 19th century: from modern Latin Phocinae (subfamily name), from Greek phōkē 'seal'.