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What do seals eat. Where do fur seals live? fur seal habitat

general description

Fur seals are majestic and graceful animals. The mammals got their name due to the long whiskers that adorn their sharp muzzles. The fur seal belongs to the family of eared seals, which includes about 15 species. Only two species of the representatives of this family are found in the waters of Russia: the northern fur seal and the sea lion.

Weight, dimensions and life expectancy

The northern fur seal, also known as the billhook, is a rather large animal of the pinniped group, which also includes walruses and true seals. The length of the male can be up to two meters, and body weight - up to 250 kilograms. Females are much smaller than males in both body size and weight. The average body length of females is 130 centimeters with a weight of 40-50 kilograms, a maximum of 70. The average life expectancy of a billhook is quite long: males can live up to 17 years, females - more than 25.

Animal body and organ development

Like all representatives of the pinniped group, the fur seal has a powerful broad chest and a spindle-shaped body, devoid of any protrusions that could interfere with swimming. The fur seal has a small muzzle, the male has a mane on his head. The horny film protects the large eyes of the animal well. They have very good eyesight and hearing, although the fur seal's small ears are almost invisible. While diving into the water, the animal's auricle closes, which is why water cannot penetrate inside. Fur seals have well developed cartilaginous endings of fingers. There are barely noticeable claws on the front flippers. The main difference between a fur seal and real seals and walruses is the presence of auricles, its front flippers are quite large, and the rear flippers are in a deployed position.

Distribution area

The fur seal is found mainly in the coastal waters of the Sea of Japan, partly the Sea of Okhotsk. In addition, the Pacific coast of North America is also home to fur seals. Due to seasonal long-distance migrations, the animal changes its distribution area throughout the year.

Fur seal (photo - in the article) is a predatory animal. The basis of its nutrition are various types of marine organisms, namely crustaceans, mollusks and fish. Every day, the northern fur seal eats food that makes up about seven percent of its body weight.

reproduction

The breeding season of fur seals is characterized by the creation of coastal rookeries, where two areas are distinguished, on one of which there are fur seals with females and newborns (family area), and on the other - males who do not take part in breeding (bachelor area). Each billhook protects its territory from uninvited guests, often fights arise between fur seals for the right to own a female, which often dies at the hands of males. Fur seals are herd animals, and during the breeding season, males form the so-called harems, which can include up to 50 females. One or two days after the exit of the females on land, cubs of billhooks appear with a body weight of about three kilograms and a height of half a meter.

photo 7

You will not meet him either in the snow-covered tundra, or in the wilderness of taiga forests, or in the mountains, or in the endless steppes. His native element is restless expanses Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea, the coast lost in the fog among the sea waters of the Commander and Kuril Islands, and even a small island near Sakhalin - Tyuleniy.

Fur seal - seal. But unlike ordinary seals, its back flippers are folded, and it can not only walk, but even jump on land. The sharp muzzle of the cat is decorated with a lush mustache and large bulging brown eyes, and the whole body, except for flippers, is covered with fur. Under the upper coarse hair - awn - hides a delicate and extremely thick undercoat. When the animal swims, the awn closes, and water does not penetrate to the undercoat. No matter how long the animal stays in the water, even for a whole year, the undercoat and layer of subcutaneous fat reliably protect it from the cold. With such a fur coat, the cat is not afraid of ice water.

A newborn cat (affectionately called "black") weighs about four kilograms. Seals mature by the age of six or seven, and all teenagers from two to four years old are called bachelors.

Only newborn seals are black in color - the rest are grayish brown, and the undercoat is completely light brown.

The annual daily routine of the life of fur seals is strictly divided into two periods: they spend summer mainly on land, winter - in the open sea. This schedule is observed and repeated from year to year.

Let's mentally move to the southern tip of Medny Island or the northern part of Bering Island. At the beginning of May, the nature of these harsh islands comes to life. Birds chirp in the tundra, partridges lek, restless flocks of migratory waders or ducks rush one after another. From the depths of the sea, fish come to the shores to spawn, followed by thousands of octopuses. At this time, the first adult male seals, billhooks, also come to the shore. At first, timidly, cautiously, as if testing the strength of a rocky or pebbly shoal, then more and more resolutely they rise ashore, shaking off the water, and look for a convenient platform. In brawls with neighbors, billhooks jealously guard their territory. Females appear in early June. They are much smaller than males, weighing only 40 - 50 kilograms. Whereas the weight of billhooks is up to 300 kilograms. A close group surrounds the females of the male. Each lord of the harem gathers 30-40 or even 200 female cats. From a distance, the noise of a fur seal rookery surprisingly resembles a herd returning from a pasture. Cleavers moo. Females bleat like sheep. Baby cats cry with thin voices of lambs.

The fur seal rookery only looks chaotic on the outside. In fact, everything is subject to its own laws. And the main thing is to save offspring. At first glance, it seems that it is difficult for a small black cat to survive here. Wherever he looks with his surprised, as if bulging eyes, everywhere is a living wall of seal bodies. But mother is on guard. For the first 5-7 days, she vigilantly monitors the baby and protects him from the inadvertent intrusion of neighbors or a male. All days the cub eats very fatty milk and gains strength. When the mother goes to sea, the grown-up little black baby remains in the " kindergarten". He crawls away from the water to the shore, where hundreds and thousands of the same puppies gather. A few days later, the mother finds her puppy in some unknown way and feeds him again.

A month later, the kids are already beginning to learn to swim, first near the shore, and then swim further and further into the sea. We must hurry. After all, they soon have to make a long sea voyage.

Meanwhile, life on the rookery goes on as usual. Male billhooks strictly guard the harems, do not let queens into foreign territory, and those who escaped are returned back. It may seem to an inexperienced observer that there is no government for such a billhook. However, it is not. The lord of the harem, who was especially raging, seems to be quickly calmed down by small-sized females. They bite him on the neck with their thin, like an awl (apparently adapted for this), fangs, and the ardor instantly flies from such an angry "sultan".

When thousands and thousands of cubs are born or spend time in "kindergartens", only blue fox and gulls, collecting waste like orderlies, are allowed to roam freely on the rookery of seals.

They don't even let a person in. As soon as he approaches the harem, a billhook rushes towards him, snorting ferociously and rolling his bloodshot eyes. Involuntarily, you step back. But time will pass. Puppies will learn to swim, and seals at the sight of a person will already shyly descend into the sea.

Well, where are the teenage cats? They, like all young people, are attracted by the romance of travel and discovery. Sometimes they find a convenient island, and, having matured, some of the animals remain there as new settlers to create a new seal “village”. Basically, obeying the instinct of the house, seals have been frequent guests of the rookery where they were born since the age of three. True, billhooks do not allow young males to approach the harems, and young people are forced to crawl ashore somewhere nearby, forming the so-called bachelor rookery.

Until late autumn, seals rest on the shore. They gain strength and “change clothes” into a new fur coat. In it, they will go on a long journey.

Their ranks are thinning every day. Finally, only a few old males and females with cubs remain. They really do not want to leave the once friendly shores. But the imperious nature is inexorable. The day will come when the last billhook descends into the freezing water, looks back at the shores, roars, as if saying goodbye, and throws himself into the foam of giant ocean surges. And above the deserted rookery, seagulls fly and moan sadly, and the blue fox yelps, picking up the food left by the seals.

What drives the animals? First of all, bad weather. Strong storms. Rain. Snow. And most importantly: the main food of the cat - fish and octopuses went into the depths, where the beast is no longer able to dive. For thousands of kilometers, only off the coast of Japan, Korea and California, you can find food near the surface of the sea. This is where the cats come in. Like migratory birds, they follow eternal paths, moving mostly at night. They rest during the day and feed in the morning and evening.

The life of seals in the sea is different from the coast. Here they scatter across the boundless expanse in small groups. So it is easier for them to find food, it is easier to escape from the terrible marine predator of the killer whale.

S. Marakov, candidate of biological sciences.

Magazine "Young Naturalist", 1967, No. 4

Kingdom:	Animals
Type of:	Chordates
Subtype:	Vertebrates
Class:	mammals
Infraclass:	Placental
Detachment:	Predatory
Suborder:	dog-like
infraorder:	pinnipeds
Family:	eared seals
Subfamily:	Seals

Spreading

Three separate herds of fur seals live in Russia - Commander, Kuril, Sakhalin. In the USA, the largest grouping is located on the Pribilof Islands, which in some years reaches several million individuals. Another species lives in the southern hemisphere - the southern fur seal, whose fur is significantly inferior in quality to its northern counterpart.

Habitat of the northern fur seal

Description of fur seals

The fur seal is not related to cats in any way and is a pinniped mammal, a member of the eared seal family. Its closest relative is . In nature, there are 7-9 species of fur seals, which are combined into two genera - northern(one kind) and southern fur seals (other species).

The fur seal is characterized by the typical appearance of most pinnipeds. The body is elongated with a short neck, small head, and flattened limbs - flippers. The tail is short and almost invisible. The fur seal is not as fat as, but moves on the ground using all four limbs. Also, fur seal is distinguished from the seal by the presence of auricles, which is why it is sometimes called an eared seal.

The eyes are dark, large, moist. Vision is poor, myopia is characteristic, hearing and smell are much better developed. Fur seals also have the ability to echolocate. The fur is short, very thick and valuable, brown or almost black. A newborn cub is always jet black, and after the first molt becomes gray. Male and female fur seals are distinguished by their size: males are 4-5 times larger. While their weight reaches 100-250 kg, the weight of females is in the range of 25-40 kg.

Common Types of Fur Seals

Northern fur seal (Far Eastern) (Callorhinus ursinus).

"Classic" representative of fur seals. Males in length reach 2.2 m, weigh up to 320 kg. Females, weighing 70 kg, have a body length of about 1.5 m. Distributed in the North Pacific Ocean to the south of Japan and California.

South American fur seal (Arctocephalus australis)

The body length of males of this species is up to 1.9 m, weight is about 200 kg. Females are 1.40 m long and weigh 50 kg. The fur is light brown in females and black-grey with a mane in males.

The species includes two subspecies: Falkland fur seals(Arctocephalus australis australis), which live in the Falkland Islands and the main subspecies Arctocephalus australis gracilis, an inhabitant of the coasts of South America. The population today is stable and not in danger of extinction.

New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri)

This species is grey-brown. Males are distinguished by a black mane and body length up to 2.5 m, weight 180 kg. Females reach a length of 1.5 m, weigh up to 70 kg. The species is found on the coasts of New Zealand, in the south and west of Australia, as well as on some subantarctic islands.

Galapagos fur seal (Arctocephalus galapagoensis)

The smallest kind. The body length of males is 1.5 m, weight is up to 64 kg. The body length of females is 1.2 m, weight does not exceed 28 kg. Wool is grey-brown. This species is endemic to the Galapagos Islands, where it lives all its life without making migrations.

Kerguelen fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella)

Males of this species reach 1.9 m in length, females - 1.3 m. Weight 150 and 50 kg, respectively. Fur gray-brown. The male is distinguished by the presence of a black mane, with gray or white hairs. Habitat - Antarctica (South Georgia and South Sandwich, Prince Edward, South Shetland, South Orkney, Bouvet, Kerguelen, Heard and McDonald, Crozet and Macquarie Islands).

Cape fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus)

This species is the largest. The body length of males is 2.5 m, females - 1.8 m. The subspecies Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus is found on the Atlantic coasts of South Africa and Namibia, and can migrate far to the north. The second subspecies Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus lives on small islands in the Bass Strait.

Guadalupe fur seal (Arctocephalus townsendi)

Males are larger than females. The view is painted in dark brown or almost black, with a yellowish back of the neck. The mating season takes place in the east of the island of Guadalupe, which is 200 km west of California.

Subtropical fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis)

Medium sized view. The body length of males is up to 2 m, weight is about 160 kg, females are up to 1.4 m in length, weigh about 50 kg. The chest and muzzle are creamy orange, the belly is brownish. The back of males is dark gray or black, females are light gray. The habitat is wide and partially overlaps with the Kerguelen fur seal. Large colonies live on the islands of Gough in the South Atlantic and Amsterdam in the south of the Indian Ocean.

Lifestyle

In spring, adult males (from 7 to 11 years old) are the first to swim into the bays on sandy or rocky shores. Having examined the area from the water, they get out onto land and “reserve themselves a territory where his harem will be for 5-6 months. A little later, females arrive, and their conquest begins. Each male gains from 5 to 20 females in his harem, and a quiet life ends.

Cleaver zealously monitors his "concubines" so that they are not lured by an opponent to his territory. The leader of the harem has a crest on his head so that everyone knows that I am the owner. Single males, up to 6 years old, live in a separate colony, a little further from the harems. Females, having come out on land, after about two days, give birth to one cub at a time. Sometimes there are two babies, but this is rare. The weight of the newborn is 3 kg, the body length is 50 cm, and he is absolutely all black.

Babies are fed with fatty (up to 70% fat) and nutritious mother's milk. For several weeks, the female does not leave her cub, feeding him. He is gaining strength, and she needs to eat, and she goes fishing at sea, leaving him alone for several days. Since many children are born, they, remaining alone on the shore, form a nursery.

Males do not pay any attention to the little ones, and in the fight for the female, they can crush the cub. And the females, after a short time, after the birth of the cub, mate with the male in order to return here next year and give birth to offspring. From this we conclude that the pregnancy lasts about a year.

Growing up, the cubs play with each other, try to reach the water, and even dive into it. No one helps them, they learn everything themselves. In the water, they try to tumble, jump and resist the current. Well, the female, returning from the sea, will easily find her baby and feed him. If the female dies, and she has a cub, then he is also doomed to death. No one will feed him - not a single female will let him near her.

In three months, the puppies will have their first molt, they will change into beautiful light gray fur coats. All summer long, little cubs grow and get stronger, very soon, in the fall, they will have to leave the rookery and go to warm seas. And this path is not easy, if he swallows water during a storm, he will die. In a year, a grown cub reaches a weight of 15 kg.

In late autumn, they all leave their rookeries and swim away to winter in warm waters. From October to April, seals live in the water, fattening, and not leaving the land. These amazing animals will return to land, to their places in the spring. And everything will be repeated from the beginning.

Food

They feed on fish and squid. In search of prey swim tens or even hundreds of kilometers. A meager ration is not peculiar to him. The stomach of an adult male holds 15-16 kilograms of food. In especially large animals - billhooks, 20 and even 25 kilograms of food were found in the stomach, but this is already a rarity. Females and young animals are content with less: three or four kilograms is enough for them for a day and even more.

reproduction

The breeding season occurs in each species at different times, most often in the spring. In February-March, the most impatient males come ashore and begin to guard their site of the future haulout from other males. At the beginning of summer, females join them and the fight for them enters the next stage, when males enter into fights, often bloody. The defeated males retreat to another part of the coast and try their hand again. Those who are not lucky enough to defend their right to mate go to the edge of the rookery and humbly wait for the end of summer, when it will be possible to go back to the sea with the whole herd.

Each male can keep a harem of up to 20 females, but few manage to successfully cope with constantly attacking competitors. Usually one adult male takes care of 2-3 females.

fur seal and man

Fur seal hunting began almost immediately after the discovery of the islands. Already in 1745, Emelyan Basov went to the Commander Islands. The trip was successful. 1670 skins of sea otters, 1990 skins of fur seals and 2240 skins of blue foxes were obtained by Basov with his team.

The news of the successful expedition of Emelyan Basov spurred Russian industrialists. Following him, other fur miners also reached out to the Commander Islands.

In the first half of the 18th century, fur seals were of little value. The fur of seals was considered at that time much worse than the fur of other fur-bearing animals. Therefore, the industrialists who visited the islands until 1780 exported an average of no more than 2 thousand seal skins annually. Demand for seal fur appeared after the outstanding Russian navigator, enterprising merchant Grigory Shelekhov managed to organize the mass export of skins to China (it must have been possible even then without the Chinese). Since 1780, up to 30,000 fur seals have been slaughtered annually on the Commander Islands. No one was spared, even pregnant females. This, of course, was reflected in the number of seals. Their livestock on the Commander Islands began to decline.

In 1799, twenty merchants combined their capital, laying the foundation for the largest association of that time - the Russian-American Company. It has existed for almost 70 years. Its permanent shareholders were the Russian tsars.

Millions of animals savagely destroyed and millions of rubles acquired - such is the result of the activities of the Russian-American Company. Hundreds of thousands of seal skins rotted in warehouses. They were burned and drowned in the sea to maintain high prices.

In 1803 alone, 700,000 seal skins were destroyed. According to contemporaries, in the Unalashka port in 1809-1812 baths and stoves were heated with dried skins of fur seals.

The fishery has grown from year to year. "Fur fever" infected more and more people. The fishermen did not spare either females or fur seal babies. By the beginning of the 70s of the 19th century, 60-70 thousand animals were hunted annually on the Commander Islands. After the sale in 1867 by the tsarist government of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands to the United States of America, the activities of the Russian-American Company ceased. Even larger crowds of adventurers poured into the rookeries in the hope of getting rich quickly.

Until now, a commercial species on Commanders since the time of the Russian-American Campaign. In October, “gray” (4-month-old puppies that have grown up over the summer) are slaughtered for fur. From 2 to 7 thousand are slaughtered per year. In adults, the skin is very thick and rough, with many scars. In a word - not very marketable.

The traditional food of the Aleuts was bachelors (this tradition has been preserved on the Pribylov Islands (USA)), now the slaughter of bachelors is prohibited on the Commanders and the locals are content with the peculiar meat of dairy puppies. AT recent times there is a decrease in the limit on the slaughter of a cat. In 2001, 1,500 fur seals were allocated, in previous years up to 7,000 seals were allocated. In November 2002, only 1,000 seals were slaughtered. Scientists attribute this to a decrease in the number of cats.

Video

Sources

http://bering.narod.ru/eng/animals/kotik.htm https://o-prirode.ru/morskoj-kotik/

Fur seals are those wonderful animals that spend a significant part of their existence in the waters of the ocean, while they reproduce only on land.

Northern fur seals, like all other pinnipeds, have a relatively large, oblong body and a small head.

Another distinctive feature of these animals is that their ears and tail are almost invisible. But even though the ears of these animals are very small, they still have auricles.

Fur seals are those wonderful animals that spend a significant part of their existence in the waters of the ocean.

Fur seals are classified as a vulnerable species and, as a result, are listed in the International Red Book.

The wool of these animals is hard, thick. The most common colors are brown and black. The eyes are dark and large.

Habitat and lifestyle

All populations of these mammals are divided into southern and northern. Their territorial habitat is the Pacific Ocean from Alaska to Austria. Among other things, they also live on the southern coast of the African mainland.

A characteristic feature of seals is that for security and breeding purposes they form densely populated colonies. They prefer to settle on the coasts, the waters of which are rich in food.

These mammals hunt in the water, but they prefer to rest exclusively on the shore. In some cases, the hunt can be quite long and the seals do not return to land for three days, but even this is not a problem for these mammals, since they can even sleep in the water. They feed mainly on fish and squid. In order to get food, they sometimes have to travel hundreds of kilometers.

Almost all types of seals migrate in search of food and suitable territory, so moving large groups These animals are seasonal. Not the last role is played by the need for reproduction and breeding.

Regardless of where and how fur seals live, and also what they eat, they always prefer to hunt exclusively on their own. Among other things, many scientists agree that these animals have a very high intelligence.

Fur seals are pinnipeds that belong to the eared seal family. It is from these animals that simply delightful circus performers are obtained, since they are not only attractive appearance, but also quick wit and effortless dexterity. To date, biologists have managed to identify eight varieties of these animals:

Far Eastern;
South American;
New Zealand;
Galapagos;
Kerguelen;
Cape;
Guadalupe;
subtropical.

Far Eastern

This species is a classic representative of sea cats. You can meet these animals in the North Pacific Ocean, up to California and southern Japan. The body length of this species of seals is about 2.2 meters, and they weigh about 320 kilograms.

Far Eastern fur seal

The body of these seals is shaped like a large drop of water with a very small head and wide-set eyes. Representatives of this species have silky and thick fur, which can be of completely different shades. Thanks to fur and a thick layer of fat, the body of this animal is reliably protected from hypothermia.

South American fur seal

Males reach a length of about two meters, while they weigh about 200 kilograms. In accordance with the habitat, it is customary to distinguish between:

seals living in the Falkleyed Islands;
seals living on the coast of South America.

Both varieties like to arrange rookeries on rocky shores, in grottoes and caves. Unlike some others, this species is numerous and not listed in the Red Book.

New Zealand

The species has a gray-brown color and is found on the coast of New Zealand, as well as in the west and south of Australia. Sometimes they can also be found on the subantaractic islands.

They grow up to 2.5 meters, while their weight is about 180 kilograms.

Galapagos

This type of seal is considered the smallest, as animals grow in length only up to 150 centimeters and weigh no more than 64 kilograms.

The coat color of these animals is gray-brown. Their distinguishing feature is that they do not migrate, but spend their entire lives near the Galapogos Islands. They spend over seventy percent of their time on land. They prefer to eat cephalopods and fish.

Kerguelen

These eared seals look like a big dog. Their peculiarity is also that, despite their impressive size and heavy weight, they can, by pulling their hind flippers under the body, lift their weight only with their forelimbs.

In length, they reach two meters and weigh about two hundred kilograms, like all other varieties of females, they differ in that they are much smaller than males, their weight does not exceed seventy kilograms, and their body length varies from 1.1 to 1.3 meters .

Cape

This species of seal is found in South Africa. They prefer to live on the coast of the Namib Desert and are the only marine inhabitants that live in the desert.

Outwardly, they are no different from other varieties. These animals grow up to 2.5 meters. It is thanks to such an impressive size that this species is recognized as one of the largest.

Guadalupe

Can be found in Mexico on the island of Guadalupe. Males are much larger and grow up to two meters in length.

The coat is dyed almost black or dark brown. Distinctive feature is that the back of the neck has a yellowish tint.

Subtropical

Representatives of this species grow to medium size and weigh about 160 kilograms with a body length of two meters.

This species lives in Amsterdam and the South Atlantic. Representatives of this species live on average about 24 years. As for the coat, the males differ in that their back is from dark gray to black, but in females it is a lighter gray.

The males of this species of mammals are polygamous and try to create a kind of harem. At the same time, females very often choose their other half, based on criteria such as heredity.

Note! According to statistics, only 25% of females mate with the owner of an educated harem, while the rest prefer to go a distance and mate with a male who is not a relative.

Fur seals become sexually mature animals only at the age of three. But this does not mean at all that from this age they can already mate and produce offspring. In order for this mammal to have the right to mate with a female, they must reach the age of seven, since only at this time do they become powerful and strong.

The males of this species of mammals are polygamous animals and try to create a kind of harem.

Of course, it is much easier for females in this matter, since there is absolutely no need for them to grow and build up muscle mass. They only have to wait until the males find out the relationship between themselves and subsequently only have to submit to the winner. During the mating season, these animals prefer to sit on sunbeds. At the same time, the struggle of two males for the opportunity to mate with a female is sometimes very fierce and leads to severe injuries or even death of the enemy. Despite this, the life expectancy of this species of eared seals is about thirty years.

But, unfortunately, no one is immune from rivalry, and the strongest get the right to continue their race. In the process of such natural selection, males organize a kind of harem from their females, which he very carefully guards from any attempts by other males. At the same time, absolutely all females in such a harem are in complete obedience to their master and do not even have the right to arbitrarily leave a certain territory.

Quite often, males make attempts to kidnap females from someone else's harem, while the female herself suffers the most, since during such an operation the male tries to get close to the female as imperceptibly as possible and, grabbing her with his teeth, pull her along with him. At the same time, the owner of the harem, unequivocally noticing such a mess, for his part, is trying to pull the lady back. Such a pull is a very tough spectacle, during which men are not at all interested in the safety of the fairer sex. During such tugging, females very often receive very serious injuries, sometimes incompatible with life.

As for the production of offspring, they feed their cubs for no more than four months. At the same time, the female during this period of time can systematically go to sea and continue to feed actively. It is because of this that the mother can feed the cub during this period only about ten times, but no matter how strange it may seem to them, this is quite enough.

Most fur seals are born black, but there are exceptions when a white baby is born. Such mammals are very noticeable against the background of all the others.

Toddlers are mobile and active animals that constantly strive to escape somewhere. Therefore, not only females, but also males monitor their offspring, who, in addition, also protect them from the encroachment of various predators.

After the kids reach a certain age and development, this usually happens at the moment when they start to swim, then the whole company goes to sea in order to subsequently return here next year.

Fur seals are of particular interest to children, they are very often worried about everything connected with them, how much they weigh, who they are or mammals, what they eat and much more. On the Internet you can find a huge number of different interesting facts for children about fur seals.

Fur seals, despite the name, have nothing to do with cats. These are pinniped mammals belonging to the family of eared seals. Their closest relatives are animals with another "cat" name - sea lions. In total, there are 7-9 species of fur seals (scientists have not yet come to a consensus on exactly how many), which are divided into two genera - northern fur seals (1 species) and southern fur seals (all other species).

Kerguelen fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella).

The appearance of these animals is typical for pinnipeds. They have an elongated body, a relatively short neck, a small head, and the limbs are flattened and turned into flippers. Compared to true seals, fur seals are not as fat and move on land relying on all four limbs, while seals crawl on their belly dragging their hind legs. The tail of these animals is so short that it is practically invisible. Unlike real seals, fur seals have auricles, for which they received the name eared seals.

The ears of fur seals are very tiny, at first you won’t notice them.

The eyes of these animals are large and dark, as if covered with moisture. Fur seals are fairly nearsighted, although they have well-developed hearing and sense of smell. These animals are also capable of echolocation like dolphins. Fur seals, although short, are very thick and therefore highly valued. The color of animals is often brown, sometimes almost black. Newborn seals are always pure black, after molting they wear juvenile (that is, characteristic only of young animals) gray fur. Male and female fur seals differ greatly in size: males look more massive due to the thick neck and are 4-5 times larger than females! The weight of male large northern fur seals can reach 100-250 kg, while females weigh only 25-40 kg.

Sleeping female fur seal.

Fur seals live on the coasts of the seas and oceans and are never found in inland waters. Since these animals are more mobile than seals, they often occupy not only gentle, but also steep rocky shores. The range of various species covers the entire Pacific basin from Alaska and Kamchatka in the north to Australia and the subantarctic islands in the south. In addition, the Cape fur seal lives on the coast of the Namib Desert in South Africa. This is the only marine mammal that can be said to live in the desert!

Fur seals have a pronounced gregarious nature, their rookeries number several thousand animals, often living in cramped and crowded conditions. Usually, animals rest on the shore, and feed in the sea. However, each such hunt can last up to 2-3 days, so the seals can also sleep in the water.

Fur seal rookery.

In addition, all types of fur seals are migratory. Typically, migrations take place in a north-south direction within the range of each species. Especially long-distance migrations are made by northern fur seals, from Kamchatka they sail thousands of kilometers to the south and winter in California. Migration is associated with the fact that during the period of breeding fur seals are in colder waters rich in food. In crowded rookeries, animals behave differently: small females have a meek character and, as a rule, do not conflict with each other, but the disposition of males is not at all “feline”. They often sort things out among themselves, and they do this not only during the marriage period. It doesn't cost anything for an adult male to bite a smaller female or throw a cub aside if he considers that they interfere with his path. On rookeries, fur seals behave quite loudly, their places of haulout are announced by noise, unlike seals, which are practically silent. Despite the herd lifestyle, fur seals do not show solidarity and do not perform organized joint actions: each animal hunts alone, comes and goes separately from the shore. At the same time, these animals have a high level of intelligence, learn quickly and are able to learn many complex commands.

Fur seals feed mainly on fish, less often they can eat cephalopods. In the water, these are agile and fast predators, moreover, they are quite voracious. By autumn, fur seals accumulate a thick layer of subcutaneous fat.

This New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) feels completely free in the water.

Fur seals breed in the spring. Only in northern fur seals spring comes in May-June, and in southern fur seals, on the contrary, in November. During the rutting season, males come to summer haulouts and occupy areas in accordance with their status: large males in the middle of the haulout, small and weak ones on the periphery. Males begin to roar loudly, thus marking the boundaries of their territories. If the interests of neighbors collide, seals enter into battle with each other, fiercely biting the opponent's neck. However, more often they limit themselves to a show of force, avoiding direct confrontations. Females can freely move around the territory of the rookery, however, each male zealously watches his mates and does his best to prevent the female from leaving for the rival's territory. Thus, a harem is formed around each male, its size and number depend on the status of the male: large bulls can have up to 20 females in the harem, small ones have only a few individuals.

A male fur seal guards two females, preventing other males from approaching them.

Pregnancy of females lasts a year, so childbirth also occurs during the rut. Each female gives birth right in the harem and for the first days carefully guards the cub, whose weight is only 2 kg. Then the mother is forced to leave the baby to feed in the sea. The cubs remain on the shore and are exposed to many dangers from ... fathers. The fact is that formidable bulls do not stand on ceremony with their own offspring and can simply crush the kids with their weight or throw them aside. It is during this period that a considerable number of cubs die. The second wave of danger comes in a couple of months, when the young begin to go into the water. Inexperienced animals often become prey for sharks and killer whales. On the coast of Chile, killer whales specially swim to the shores at this time to feed on easy prey. In pursuit of fur seals, they even throw themselves into the surf.

The fur seal makes incredible leaps in a desperate effort to get away from the shark.

In addition to natural enemies, hunting also brings considerable damage to populations. To this day, seal hunting is carried out on an industrial scale. Only cubs are killed (their fur is of the best quality), in addition to the skins, the meat and fat of these animals are also used. However, the main production is for the fashion industry. Some subspecies of fur seals are on the verge of extinction.