Despite the specifics of its name, these animals have nothing to do with cats. Fur seals belong to the class of pinniped mammals, to the family of eared seals. In total, about nine species of these animals are known (scientists still have not come to a consensus on this), which are divided into two large groups - northern fur seals (one species refers to them) and southern fur seals (the rest kinds). The life of these unusual animals has always been of great interest to lovers of fauna. Often on the forums you can find questions about the nutritional characteristics of fur seals, their habitat and habits. Naturalists are happy to share their knowledge with like-minded people. This article provides information about where the fur seal lives and what it feeds in nature.
Where do northern fur seals live and what do they eat?
The existence of the northern fur seal became known in 1741. It was discovered off the coast of Alaska, on the Commander Islands. In 1786, rookeries of these animals were discovered on the Pribylov islands. The main habitats of fur seals are islands lying in the Bering Strait, the Far East coast of Russia, the west coast of North America, the northern Pacific islands. They live on the Kuril and Commander Islands, on the island of Seals, on the coast of California and in the Sea of Okhotsk.
It is known that northern fur seals migrate widely from their traditional breeding sites. Females of these animals, along with cubs, lead a nomadic lifestyle, while males live settled. The meeting of males and females occurs exclusively during the rutting season. What does a fur seal eat? According to scientists, the main food of these animals is fish and cephalopods.
About the appearance and size
Females and male males are so different from each other in their sizes that scientists used to attribute them to different species. The body length of the male northern fur seal can reach two meters, the female - one and a half meters. Often males weigh about 185-250 kg, the weight of females is about 40-50 kg.
In addition to considerable weight and size, males differ from females by the presence of a thick collar on their neck. A thick layer of fat under the skin helps animals maintain a constant body temperature in ice water. Thanks to him, the cat’s body has a streamlined shape that makes it easier for him to swim.
About behavior
It is known that adult males never move far from rookeries. Females every year go on a journey across the ocean in search of fish. Northern fur seals on earth have much greater mobility than seals similar to them: they can bend their hind limbs under the body. In water, these animals row, using the circular movements of the front fins, their back ones mainly function as a rudder. They have excellent vision, hearing and taste.
Where, how and what does the fur seal eat?
Like other pinnipeds, vibrissa (special long tactile hairs protruding above the surface of the hair on the face, sensitive to mechanical vibrations) help to find food for these animals. When approaching prey (fish or shellfish), from which waves disperse through the water, the vibrissae begin to tremble, which helps the cat to detect it.
Answering the question of how and what the fur seal eats, experts note that these animals are able to dive on average to a depth of 68 meters. However, scientists also observed northern fur seals at a depth of 190 meters, and in the stomachs of some individuals even the remains of fish belonging to deep-sea were found. It is known that males usually do not go far from the rookery, protecting it, while females during mating season swim in the sea for feeding for seven to eight days, leaving the young alone. Often they are removed from the coast to a distance of 150 km. Females swim, resting and falling asleep in the water, until they reach places rich in fish, where they begin their hunt.
About breeding
Males reach puberty at the age of five years, females are sexually mature from two years. The breeding season for cats lasts from June to July. Pregnancy lasts twelve months. Usually one cub is born.
Bill hooks are the first to appear in the area of rookeries and engage in battles for the best sites, and from mid-May to early June, for females who have returned from this trip by that time, whom they seek to capture and drive into their harem more. Bill hare females are unusually jealous. On the first day after their appearance on the rookery, females give birth to cubs. The weight of the newborn is about two kilograms, the length is about 50 cm. The baby is usually covered with black wool. A few days after the birth, the females mate with the owner of the harem and go on a multi-day hunt, returning to shore only to feed the babies. At the age of three months, the cubs can already descend into the water.
Relations between animals and humans
The body of northern fur seals is covered with warm thick wool, because of which they are actively hunted. In the middle of the XIX century in Russia, the intensity of trade in valuable skins of these mammals increased to such a level that twice the colonies of these animals living on the Pribylov islands were on the verge of extinction. Hunters from other countries also posed a significant threat to fur seals fishing on the high seas. To preserve the population, in 1911, several states signed a treaty on the regulation of hunting by the USA, Japan, Great Britain, and Tsarist Russia.
About the South Fur Seal
It is no less interesting for amateur naturalists visiting special forums to find out how the fur seal lives and what it eats in Antarctica.
Southern fur seal (Antarctic) is a member of the eared seal family. This graceful beast is often quite large. Several species of southern fur seals are known:
- The largest of them, scientists call the Cape fur seal, which inhabits the coast of Namibia, South Africa and South Australia. The body length of the males of these animals reaches two and a half meters, weight - 180 kg. The body length of females is 1.7 meters, weight - not more than 80 kg.
- The Galapagos Islands have significantly smaller seals (males with a body length of 1.5 m, weighing 65 kg, females with a body length of 1.2 m, weighing 30 kg).
- Females with the following parameters live on the southern coast of South America: males with a body length of 1.9 m, weight 160 kg, females with a body length of 1.4 m, weight 50 kg.
- The inhabitant of the Arctic region (uninhabited islands of the South Sea), which has approximately similar dimensions, is the Kerguelen fur seal, which does not experience any discomfort from the proximity of eternal cold.
The life span of a southern fur seal is about twenty years. The main enemies of the Antarctic fur seal are the killer whale and the man hunting him.
What do animals look like?
Most animals have a grayish-brown fur (sometimes chocolate or dark yellow), their belly is always lighter than the sides and back. Males are distinguished by the presence of luxurious black manes, sometimes diluted with gray hair. Females are usually dark brown or black.
About the mating season
The mating season of southern seals lasts from October to November. The mass of the calf is usually up to five kilograms, the body length is up to 50-60 cm. During the year, the mother feeds the baby with milk, gradually introducing the mollusks and fish into the diet. A week after the birth, the females mate again. Their pregnancy lasts eleven months. Females reach puberty at the age of three, males - 2 years later.
