None of which detracts from the point that this intermediate limb of a seal is both a functional leg and a flipper and a seal survives just fine without it being fully a leg or fully a flipper.
A “transitional form” may be a species that numbers in the thousands and exists for hundreds of thousands of years. For example the Australopithocine existed for millions of years over a wide range, yet people point to it as a “transitional” form between knuckle walking apes and bipedal humans.
None of which detracts from the point that this intermediate limb of a seal is both a functional leg and a flipper and a seal survives just fine without it being fully a leg or fully a flipper.
“Functional leg” as long as you’re satisfied with that definition of functionality insofar as it hobbles around on the ice and that’s about it. It can’t outrun polar bears, can’t do much of anything but hobble.
But no matter there’s simply nothing whatsover in this world to say it’s “intermediate” other than sheer conjecture.
No telling how many ga-jillions of years we’ll have to wait and see if the seal makes it’s mind up and goes the flipper route or the leg route or just hires out otters to do the hunting for them and stays exactly as it is (as God created them in the first place).