Fur Seals

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Fur Seals
Fur Seal
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New Zealand fur sealArctocephalus forsteri
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Appearance

• Males of this species measure 145-250 cm and
  weigh 120-185 kg. Females are 125-150 cm, and
  weigh 40-70 kg. Pups are 40-45 cm at birth and
  weigh on average 4.3 kg. There is a marked sexual
  dimorphism in this species. Males have thick
  manes and are much darker in color than the
  females. They have a dark brown to black dorsal
  side with a lighter ventral. Females are brown to
  dark brown with grayish tones. Pups are black at
  birth, turning grayish brown after molt

Appearance
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Where are they found and what do they eat?

• This species is usually found on rocky coasts.
  There are two distinct populations. One
  population can be found on the southern coast of
  Australia (West Australia and South Australia).
  The other population lives in New Zealand. In the
  summer they are found on the South Island. In the
  winter this fur seal can be found on the North
  Island as well.
• Analyses of stomach contents shows that 38 of
  the diet consists of barracudas, 27 of octopus,
  24 of squid and 9 of small fish. Occasionally
  birds are eaten as well.

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Interesting Facts

• Females become mature at 4-6 years of age, males
  at 10-12 years.
• Lactation lasts 10-11 months.
• Sharks and killer whales include this species in
  their diets.
• The Australian population estimated between 2,500
  and less than 5,000. The New Zealand population
  is estimated at 30,000-50,000 and seems to be
  increasing.

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Northern fur seal

• Callorhinus ursinus

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Appearance

• Males of this species are on average 210 cm long
  and weigh 180-270 kg. Females measure 140 cm and
  weigh 43-50 kg.
• At birth male pups are 66 cm and weigh 5.4 kg,
  while female pups are 63 cm long and weigh 4.5
  kg.
• This species is characterized by its short
  down-curved rostrum and long rear flippers. Males
  vary in color from grey to reddish brown to
  black. Females have a silvery grey dorsal and a
  reddish brown ventral side.

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Where Are They Found

• Pribilof Islands
• Commander Islands
• Robben Island
• Kuril Islands
• San Miguel Island
• In winter there is a southbound migration.

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Feeding

• Northern fur seals are opportunistic feeders
  they usually take the most abundant fish and
  cephalopod species available. The diet includes
  squid, hake, anchovy, herring, sand lance,
  capelin, mackerel and smelt. They consume about
  10 of their body weight in fish per day.
• Some seals appear to make deep feeding dives
  exclusively, some make only shallow dives and
  others make both deep and shallow dives. Deep
  diving occurs throughout the day, whereas shallow
  dives occurs just after dusk and just before
  dawn. About 69 of all dives occurs at night.
  Diving seems to occur in bouts. In a diving bout
  about 10 dives are made per hour and a diving
  lasts on average 2.2 hours. Average dive time is
  2.6 minutes. Maximum dive time is 5-7 minutes.

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Population

• Pribilof Islands 1,300,000
• Commander Islands 265,000
• Robben Island 165,000
• Kuril Islands 33,000
• San Miguel Island 2,000
• The total population is therefore an estimated
  1,765,000 animals

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Antarctic fur seal
Antarctic fur seal

• Antarctic fur seal

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Appearance

• Adult males range in length from 170 to 200 cm
  and in weight from 90 to 200 kg. For females
  these ranges are 120 to 140 cm and 20 to 51 kg
  respectively. Pups are 60-70 cm at birth and
  weigh 5-6kg. The back and sides of adult fur
  seals are grey to brownish, with a creamy throat
  and chest and a dark ventral. Males have manes
  with a lot of white hairs, which give the manes a
  grizzled look. Pups are very dark brown or black.

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Where are they found and what do they eat?

• This fur seal can be found on the islands south
  of the Antarctic Convergence.
• The major breeding area is in South Georgia.
  Other breeding colonies can be found on the South
  Sandwich Islands, Bouvetya, South Shetland,
  Marion Island, Heard, McDonald Islands and
  possibly on Kerguelen.
• This species apparently does not migrate.
• The Antarctic fur seal feeds mainly on krill, but
  also takes fish, squid and birds.
• Feeding dives occur mainly at night, between
  1000 and 1100 p.m., and between 0200 and 0300
  a.m..
• These peaks correlate with the nocturnal rise of
  krill, the major summer prey. In diving bouts,
  the seal make about 19 dives per hour. All dives
  are shallow.

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South African fur seal

• Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus

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Appearance

• The males measure about 230-235 cm and weigh
  about 360 kg, although weights upto 700 kg have
  been mentioned. Females are about 180 cm and
  weigh 120 kg. Pups measure 60-80 cm and weigh 6
  kg at birth. The fur of the males is dark grey on
  the dorsal side and lighter ventrally. Females
  have a brownish grey dorsal and a light brown
  ventral. Pups are black at birth.

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Feeding

• The South African fur seal forages of pelagic
  shoaling fish and cephalopods.
• Stomachs that were examined contained 70 fish,
  20 cephalopods and 2 crustaceans the other 8
  was made up of miscellaneous matter.
• They consume an estimated 270 kg of fish per
  animal per year, which means a total consumption
  of over 170,000 metric tons of fish per year for
  the whole population.
• While feeding, the seals dive on average 2.1
  minutes, with a maximum of 7.5 minutes. The dives
  usually go to less than 50m. The deepest recorded
  dive was to 204m

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Population

• the population has been estimate at a total of
  850,000.
• The annual pup production is around 211,000.
• The number of breeding bulls is 13,000.

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Australian fur seal

• Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus

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Appearance

• The males measure 200-225 cm and weigh 220-360
  kg. Females are 125-170 cm and weigh 36-110 kg.
• At birth, male pups measure 64-81 cm and weigh
  5-12 kg, and female pups measure 62-79 cm and
  weigh 4-10 kg.
• There is a marked sexual dimorphism in this fur
  seal.
• Males are dark grayish brown with a paler ventral
  and a coarse mane.
• Females are a pale fawn to grayish brown with a
  pale throat and a brown ventral. At birth pups
  are black.

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Feeding

• This fur seal is a deep diver and seems to get
  its food from deeper waters. It is known to dive
  at least 500 m deep. Its diet consists of squid,
  octopus and a wide variety of fishes.

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