Fur seal - description, habitat, lifestyle

Seals often become heroes of funny videos and funny photos. They attract attention not only by their behavior, but also by external data. These semi-aquatic inhabitants can be on land for a long time and at the same time feel great. Fur seals are quite common, so we will study all the features associated with them.

Description

1. The presented animals are similar to sea lions and seals, certainly not in everything, but only partially. They have a typical constitution of the corps, a peculiar temperament and a method of obtaining food. Even breeding partially coincides, what can we say about places of distribution. Even the rookeries are satisfied with the joint ones, this does not bother anyone, there are no conflicts. Fur seals were first described in the 18th century.
2. Mammalian colonies do not have that number. The livestock can be several thousand or more. Since ancient times, these individuals lived in the northern hemisphere, but gradually began to migrate. Previously, poachers caught members of the family, so the population was declining every day. It was valued precisely the fur, which is distinguished by its high cost.
3. Uncontrolled fishing has led to the fact that there are very few fur seals. Then they adopted a law on their protection, the population gradually began to revive. Growth began in the 1960s. Poaching cannot be completely ruled out, although this is illegal.
4. Catching seals can be legalized when it comes to their production for dolphinariums and other institutions of this type. Also so-called fur seal shows are very popular in different countries of the world. On the island of Bering, which is included in the Russian Federation, trapping takes place.
5. The animals presented are bulky. Some individuals of male gender reach a length of 2 meters. With a body weight of 250 kg. Females grow up to 1.5 meters with a weight of 80 kg. A distinctive feature of these animals from self-similar can be considered that in cold water they are not heated at all by fat, but by dense warm fur.
6. Adipose tissue is located a little deeper. The fur coat in the upper part is insulated with black pigmented wool. It is tough, plain. The final color depends on the particular animal, but the darkened color scheme is found most often.
7. There are albinos, covered with light wool. However, this is considered a deviation at the genetic level, so almost all cubs do not survive. If, nevertheless, the baby manages to survive, after a couple of months it will be molted. Light wool is replaced by gray, and remains in the future.

Habitat

1. These animals do not have a way of being in one place. Constantly representatives roam, choosing a suitable area for food and reproduction. The mating season originates in special rookeries, where several thousand individuals gather. These rookeries are permanent, seals come back here year after year.
2. As a rule, for breeding they choose sandy shores with a small number of sloping stones. Usually there are shallows in the habitat to make it convenient to lie in the water. Mammals prefer to hide from waves behind reefs and stones.
3. They also enjoy living among algae. Cubs splash in the water, learn to swim, hunt small fish. When the winter time comes, adult representatives of the flock go hunting in the sea. Hunting can take up to six months, for this period seals are divided into groups.

Varieties

There are many types, but we will list the most famous.

1. New Zealand As the name implies, the family is located in New Zealand. They also live in Australia and the surrounding territories. They differ in the brownish color of the hull, reaching 2.4 m in size. Weight varies between 160-180 kg.
2. Galapagos To date, representatives of this group are classified as the smallest. They weigh about 65 kg. with a body length of about 1.5 m. They differ in a brownish-gray color. Features include the fact that animals lead a settled life. They do not wander from one place to another. Most of their lives are spent on land, eat fish and shellfish. Distributed in the Galapagos Islands.
3. Cape. This species is more common in South Africa. There are individuals near the Namib desert and are the only ones of their kind living in a similar area. They settle on the coastline; according to external data, they practically do not differ from the rest of the seals. Painted dark, grow up to 2.4 m.
4. Subtropical. Medium-sized individuals growing up to 165 kg. maximum. They extend up to 2 m along the hull. They are widespread in the southern part of the Atlantic coast and are found in Amsterdam. They are considered long-livers, since they reach 28 years or more. The males are painted on the back dark gray or black, and the females are light, gray-white.

Breeding

1. Females reach sexual maturity at 3 years. However, they can fight for the females and begin mating only after the seventh year of life. At this point, they are gaining courage and strength to win the lady of their choice. Some cats mate for the first time only after ten years of life, because they can not recapture the female from the self-similar.
2. Female sex is much easier. They are on the rookery, watching males fight and dutifully surrender to the winner after the skirmish. As for the life span, individuals of this family live 20-30 years.
3. Around the end of spring or the beginning of summer, the mating season begins. Fights are violent skirmishes, often leading to severe injuries and even death. Due to natural selection, nothing else remains.
4. The rookery is becoming more crowded every day, so the territory is fairly divided. Pieces of land are allocated to each group. Then the male begins his demonstration performances, causing the opponent to fight. Around a strong cat gathers a whole harem of females.
5. Females cannot leave the group and allotted territory without prior approval. Even if a male from an alien group likes it, the lady is forced to sit and look at the leader of the pack. This is partly why the abduction of female individuals occurs. An alien male simply grabs her teeth and tries to drag her into his group.
6. In this battle, only a female suffers. She is pulled from one side to the other until the males inflict severe injuries. When the sharing comes to an end, pairing begins. After the birth of the cubs, the mother feeds them another 3-5 months.

There are quite a few varieties of the represented family, which are common in the southern and northern hemispheres. However, the cold climatic regions of these animals like more. It is for this reason that they have such a body structure, designed for a long stay in cold water.

Video: fur seal (Arctocephalinae)