Northern Fur Seal (Callorhinus ursinus)

Northern Fur Seal pup. Marine Mammal Center in the Marin Headlands, California.
Photograph by Gina Sanfilippo. Some rights reserved. (view image details)

Northern Fur Seal | Callorhinus ursinus photo

Northern Fur Seal pups. Marine Mammal Center in the Marin Headlands, California.
Photograph by Gina Sanfilippo. Some rights reserved. (view image details)

NORTHERN FUR SEAL FACTS

Description
The Male Northern Fur Seal is reddish or black in color. Adult females are usually gray or brown. The pups have black fur. Pups usually have lighter markings on the nose and underside. Adults have a mane, more noticeable in the male. The fur on the front flippers stops at the wrist. The eared seals (sea lions and fur seals) have small external ears. They can pull their rear flippers up under their bodies and use to them move around on land.

Other Names
Alaska Fur Seal

Size
Length: males 2.1m; females 1.4m. Males are much larger than females. Males weigh 136-279; females weigh 30 - 50kg.

Environment
Northern Fur Seals spend most of their time in the cool water of the North Pacific Ocean. During the breeding season, they come on land at island breeding grounds.

Food
fish and squid, occasionally birds

Breeding
One pup (sometimes twins) is born after a gestation of 11 - 12 months. The pup is weaned after about 4 months. Pups remain on land for 60-70 days.

Range
North Pacific Ocean to the Bering Sea. Breeds on islands near Russia, Alaska, and California.

Conservation Status
The conservation status in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals is "vulnerable".

Classification

Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Otariidae
Genus:	Callorhinus
Species:	ursinus
Common Name:	Northern Fur Seal

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