New Zealand Fur Seal
Encyclopedia
The Australian fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri), or New Zealand fur seal or southern fur seal, is a species of fur seal
found around the south coast of Australia
, the coast of the South Island
of New Zealand
, and some of the small islands to the south and east of there. Male-only colonies are also located on the Cook Strait
coast of the North Island
near Wellington
and vagrants are found as far north as New Caledonia
. The English common name New Zealand fur seal is used by English speakers in New Zealand (kekeno is used in the Māori language
), and southern fur seal by English speakers in Australia. Although the two populations show some genetic differences, their morphologies are very similar, and thus they remain classed as a single species.
Although the seals look docile, they can move surprisingly quickly and it is advisable never to approach a female with young or get between a seal and the water, cutting off its escape route to the sea. Their teeth are very sharp and many New Zealanders have been bitten.
occurs for 9 months Females are more aggressive near the time of birth, and do not like to be approached right after birth. Female New Zealand fur seals will continue to reproduce until their death which is on average between 14 and 17 years of age.
Marine Park that is located on the eastern side of Macquarie island
in 2000. The Tasmanian government has also extended to Macquarie Island Nature Reserve by 3 nautical miles surrounding the island. New Zealand fur seals are protected by the Marine mammals protection act of 1978, which works to conserve marine animal species.
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...
found around the south coast of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the coast of the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and some of the small islands to the south and east of there. Male-only colonies are also located on the Cook Strait
Cook Strait
Cook Strait is the strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It connects the Tasman Sea on the west with the South Pacific Ocean on the east....
coast of the North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
near Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
and vagrants are found as far north as New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
. The English common name New Zealand fur seal is used by English speakers in New Zealand (kekeno is used in the Māori language
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
), and southern fur seal by English speakers in Australia. Although the two populations show some genetic differences, their morphologies are very similar, and thus they remain classed as a single species.
Although the seals look docile, they can move surprisingly quickly and it is advisable never to approach a female with young or get between a seal and the water, cutting off its escape route to the sea. Their teeth are very sharp and many New Zealanders have been bitten.
Physical Characteristics
The New Zealand fur seal is a fairly large mammal. Males have been reported to be as large as 250 kg in the literature, but the average weight is about 126 kg. Males can also grow to be 2 meters long. Females are between 30-50 kg on average, and can grow to be as long as 1.5 meters. Pups are 3.3-3.9 kg on average, and between 40 and 55 cm long. At 290 days old males are about 14.1 kg, and females are about 12.6 kg. They have external ears and hind flippers that rotate forward, which visibly distinguish them from other seals. They have a pointy nose with long pale whiskers. The fur seals are covered by two layers of fur, and their coat is grey-brown on their back, but it is lighter on their belly. Some fur seals have white tips on longer upper hairs, which can give the fur seal a silver like appearance.Diving
New Zealand fur seals "porpoise" out of the water when traveling quickly at sea. New Zealand fur seals are the best at diving out of any other fur seal because they can dive deeper and longer. Females can dive for about 9 minutes and to a depth of about 312 meters. But females can dive deeper and longer in autumn and winter. Males can dive for about 15 minutes to a depth of about 380 meters. On average New Zealand fur seals only dive for 1-2 minutes. When they dive for food they dive deeper during the day but shallower at night, because during the day their prey typically migrates to deeper depths and migrates back up during the night.Communication
Males vocalize through a bark or whimper, either a gluttural threat, a low-intensity threat, a full threat, or a submissive call. Females growl and also have a high-pitched pup attraction wail call.Breeding
Female New England fur seals mature between 4 and 6 years old, and males mature between 8 and 10 years old. These seals are polygynous. Males obtain and guard territory in late October before females arrive. Often females only mate once a year, and this usually occurs eight days postpartum for about 13 minutes on average. Females have a delayed implantation of the fertilized egg, so that implantation on the uterine wall does not occur for 3 months. GestationGestation
Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
occurs for 9 months Females are more aggressive near the time of birth, and do not like to be approached right after birth. Female New Zealand fur seals will continue to reproduce until their death which is on average between 14 and 17 years of age.
Parenting
Pups are born between November and January. Females stay close to the birth site for up to ten days. Pups are fairly mature at birth, and within 60 minutes they start suckling for about 7 minutes. Eventually the suckling can exceed 33 minutes. Suckling can occur for about 300 days. Pups start to eat solid food just before weaning. Pups are eventually weaned around September, and they disperse.Diet
Their diet includes cephalopods, fish, and birds. Stomach contents have been analyzed and shown to include anchovy, barracouta, flounder, hagfish, lamprey, red cod, school shark, and many other species. There are different factors that affect their diet, such as season, sex, breeding, surrounding colony, oceanography, and climatic patterns.Predators
New Zealand fur seals’ known predators are killer whales, sharks, male New Zealand sea lions, and possibly leopard seals. New Zealand sea lions are also known to target pups as their prey.Human Impact
These seals were widely hunted from shortly after the European discovery of New Zealand until the late 19th century. The population of the New Zealand seal fell to levels under 10% of the original numbers. Today trawls and fisheries are one of the main sources of death in New Zealand fur seals. They cause entanglement and drowning. It has been estimated by the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society that over 10000 seals could have drowned in nets between 1989 and 1998. They are also known to be shot by commercial and recreational fishermen, because they sometimes interfere with fishing gear. How often these shootings occur is unknown, but the conflict between the seals and commercial fisheries is expected to increase. New Zealand fur seals have recently received protection by the creation of a 16 million hectareHectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
Marine Park that is located on the eastern side of Macquarie island
Macquarie Island
Macquarie Island lies in the southwest corner of the Pacific Ocean, about half-way between New Zealand and Antarctica, at 54°30S, 158°57E. Politically, it has formed part of the Australian state of Tasmania since 1900 and became a Tasmanian State Reserve in 1978. In 1997 it became a world heritage...
in 2000. The Tasmanian government has also extended to Macquarie Island Nature Reserve by 3 nautical miles surrounding the island. New Zealand fur seals are protected by the Marine mammals protection act of 1978, which works to conserve marine animal species.