The Juan Fernández Fur Seal (Arctocephalus philippii) is a fur seal

Fur seal

Fur seals are any of nine species of pinnipeds in the Otariidae family. One species, the northern fur seal inhabits the North Pacific, while seven species in the Arctocephalus genus are found primarily in the Southern hemisphere...

 that breeds on the Juan Fernández Islands

Juan Fernández Islands

The Juan Fernández Islands are a sparsely inhabited island group reliant on tourism and fishing in the South Pacific Ocean, situated about off the coast of Chile, and is composed of three main volcanic islands; Robinson Crusoe Island, Alejandro Selkirk Island and Santa Clara Island, the first...

 off the coast of Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

. It is the second smallest of the otariid seal (the closely related Galapagos Fur Seal

Galapagos Fur Seal

The Galápagos fur seal breeds on the Galápagos Islands in the eastern Pacific, west of mainland Ecuador.- Description :...

 is smaller still). Discovered by navigator Juan Fernández in the sixteenth century, the seals became a target for sealers in the Maritime Fur Trade

Maritime Fur Trade

The Maritime Fur Trade was a ship-based fur trade system that focused on acquiring furs of sea otters and other animals from the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast and natives of Alaska. The furs were mostly sold in China in exchange for tea, silks, porcelain, and other Chinese...

era. They were thought extinct mid-way through the twentieth century until a population of 200 was found. The population was protected and has grown quickly. There are now believed to be at least 10,000 animals on and around the island.

Description

The seals have a relatively robust body and a long, slender and pointed snout. They have stubby foreflippers and hindflippers, and a mane of long coarse guard hairs from the top of the head to the shoulders. Adult males are dark brown to black, but the guard hairs can have yellow or tan tips. The males also have a more bulbous nose than the females and juveniles as well as being longer than the adult females. The adult females have an overall brown colour but the tips of the guard hairs may fade to yellow or tan. The females are less robust at the chest, neck and shoulders than the adult males. When pups are born they are black, but they become lighter during the first few years.

External links

• ARKive - images and movies of the Juan Fernández Fur Seal (Arctocephalus philippii)
• Photos of the Juan Fernandez Fur Seal