Southern+Fur+seal

Animal: Animal Group: Description of animal group || Southern Fur Seal
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mamml warm blooded animals flippers || Observation Describe your animal (Colour, size, body parts) || In appearance and manner they resemble a large dog The males can reach 200kg (440lb) and can be up to 4 times larger than the females. Adult males are dark brown in color. Females and juveniles tend to be grey with a lighter underside. Colour patterns are highly variable, and some scientists believe that some [|hybridisation] with [|Subantarctic Fur Seals] has occurred. Pups are dark brown, nearly black at birth. || Describe how your animal behaves (moves, flies, runs) || They are able to bring their rear flippers under their body and take the weight of their body on their fore-flippers || Where it lives || in Antarctica on ice or solid land || What it eats How it eats || The usual food supply is [|krill], and each Antarctic Fur seal eats about a ton[//[|clarification needed]//] of krill each year. || How does it have babies? How does it care for its babies? How long do they live? || Fur seal pups weigh about 5-6 kg (11 - 13lb) at birth, unlike some other antarctic seals, the females feed regularly while they are suckling rather than surviving on fat reserves until the pup has grown quite large.** A fishing trip lasts between 3 and 6 days so the growth of a young fur seal is rather irregular and weaning happens later than with other species. || What does it do during the day and night? || Seals spend much of the year swimming through the seas fishing as they go, while they may spend time with other seals || How has it changed over time in Antarctica? || The Antarctic Fur Seal was very heavily hunted in the 18th and 19th centuries for its [|pelt] by sealers from the [|United States] and the [|United Kingdom]. By the early twentieth century, the seal was regarded as commercially extinct, and perhaps completely extinct. In fact a small population continued to exist, breeding on [|Bird Island] in South Georgia. This colony has expanded rapidly over the course of a century. The current populations on the other Antarctic islands are believed to be off-shoots of this one colony. The species is still protected by the governments in whose waters it resides ([|Australia], [|South Africa]) and by the [|Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals] in waters south of 60° S. The animal is also listed in Appendix 2 of [|CITES]. However some governments with interests in the Antarctic, for instance, the United Kingdom, say that some of these protections should be lifted as the species is causing damage to vulnerable Antarctic plants || Type in the content of your page here.
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 * When born, the young are fed only on milk by the mother and soon learn to fish for themselves. Birthing usually takes place on a beach with many other seals and the female comes into oestrous (i.e. is ready to mate again) shortly after giving birth.
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 * **Threats:** || ** In the 1700's and 1800's, fur seals were almost completely wiped out by sealers. Captain James Cook visited the island of South Georgia in 1775 and reported that there a great many seals present. ** ||
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 * **Other Facts:** || [[image:http://www.coolantarctica.com/gallery/seals/southern_fur_seal1.jpg width="324" height="240"]] ||
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