Northern Fur Seal Physical Description Range Hunting

The Northern Fur Seal, Callorhinus ursinus, is an eared seal. It is the only species in the genus Callorhinus. It is found in the north Pacific Ocean.

1 Physical description

The Northern Fur Seal, has substantial physical differences compared to its cousins: its head is smaller, snout shorter and the hindflippers are the largest of any eared seal. The "fingers" on the hindflippers are conspicous by their length. Males are substantially larger (2m, 270kg) and darker-coloured (the pelage is dark brown or black) than the female (1.5m, 60kg, light brown to grey). Males live for up to 20 years, and females 25.

Northern Fur breeding grounds are fairly densely packed, though activities at sea are generally solitary. Pups are wean ed in October. They enter the water and start heading south towards the end of November. Individuals return to the breeding grounds in May. Males aggressively establish their territory and herd females into it. Males are polygynous with each breeding season. June is birthing month. Having said with their pups for the first eight to ten days of their life, females then begin foraging trips lasting about a week. These trips last for about four months before weaning.

2 Range

The Northern Fur Seal is found in the north Pacific - its southernmost reach is a line that runs roughly from the southern tip of Japan to the southern tip of Baja California, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea. The largest breeding colonies are the Pribilof Islands and Commander Islands in the Bering Sea. Breeding also occcurs on Robben IslandRobben Island ( Dutch for "seal island") is an island 12 km off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa. It was first inhabited thousands of years ago when the channel dividing it from the mainland was not under water. Since the end of the 17th century, Robb in the Sea of Okhotsk, islands around the north of Japan and San Miguel IslandSan Miguel Island is the westernmost of California's Channel Islands and the sixth largest of the eight. It is part of Channel Islands National Park, USA. Point Bennett, the island's western beach, often plays host to as many as six different species of p off CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located in the western United States, bordering the Pacific Ocean. The most populous and third largest state in the U. California is both physically and demographically diverse. The state's official nickname is "The Golden State", wh.

There are estimated to be around 1.2m Northern Fur Seals across the range. The other fur seal found in the northern hemisphere is the Guadalupe Fur SealThe Guadalupe Fur Seal Arctocephalus townsendi is a fur seal. It is one of six members of the Arcetocephalus genus, but the only one to be found in the Northern Hemisphere. Sealers reduced the population to just a few dozen by the late-nighteenth century - the two species' ranges overlap in the north-east Pacific.

3 Hunting

Northern Fur Seals have been a staple food of native Russian and Alaskan Inuit peoples for thousands of years. It also provides a fine pelt. Indeed its genus name comes from the GreekThe Greek language ( /Elini'k{/) is an Indo-European language which has existed from around the 14th century BC in the Cretan inscriptions called Linear B. Mycenaean Greek of this period is distinguished from later Classical or Ancient Greek of the 8th ce for "beautiful hide".

More substantial harvests beginning in the eighteenth century lead to a decrease in numbers. A multi-national agreement of 19xx ended hunting of seals at sea with the proviso that a managed take at the Pribilof islands could take its place. Commercial hunting ended completely in 1984, however a subsistence hunt continues - around 1,500 animals are taken each year.

4 References

*Randall R. Reeves, Brent S. Stewart, Phillip J. Clapham and James A. Powell (2002). National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.. BooksEnthsiast.com.

Pinnipeds

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