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Project Noah Nature School
Arctocephalus forsteri
When Polynesians arrived about 1300 AD, fur seals became an important source of food. By the time Europeans arrived in the late 1700s the seals had been all but wiped out, save for colonies on the South Island’s sparsely inhabited south-western coast. Their prey is fish, cephalopods such as squid and octopus, and crustacea including krill.
Rocky shores throughout mainland New Zealand, the Chatham Islands, and the subantarctic islands, as well as parts of Australia.
Although the Australian and New Zealand populations show some genetic differences, their morphologies are very similar, and thus they remain classed as a single species. The last total population estimate was 200,000 in 2001. == This seal looked a bit sad and forlorn. The longest known life span of a New Zealand fur seal is 15 years.
Spotted on Mar 25, 2019
Submitted on Jun 29, 2019
2 Comments
😁 I’m impressed!
Awesome spotting, JN. Great photos and notes too.