Why do many modern researchers argue against grouping *Odobenidae* within *Phocidae* or *Otariidae*?
Answer
Grouping them that way would make the other family paraphyletic
The argument for maintaining *Odobenidae* as a distinct family separate from the true seals (*Phocidae*) and eared seals (*Otariidae*) is rooted in principles of accurate phylogenetic classification. If the walrus family were instead categorized as a subfamily within either of the other two groups, it would render the containing family paraphyletic. A paraphyletic group, by definition, fails to include all descendants stemming from a single common ancestor, thus providing an incomplete and misleading representation of the evolutionary tree structure among the Pinnipedia.
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