The subantarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis ) is found in the southern parts of the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans. It was first described by Gray in 1872 from a specimen recovered in northern Australia—hence the inappropriate specific name tropicalis.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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PiscivoresA piscivore is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. Piscivorous is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophagous. Fish were the die...
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MolluscivoreA molluscivore is a carnivorous animal that specializes in feeding on molluscs such as gastropods, bivalves, brachiopods, and cephalopods. Known mo...
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SemiaquaticSemiaquatic animals are those that are primarily or partly terrestrial but that spend a large amount of time swimming or otherwise occupied in wate...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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NatatorialNatatorial animals are those adapted for swimming. Some fish use their pectoral fins as the primary means of locomotion, sometimes termed labriform...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withSubantarctic fur seals are medium in size animals which are recognized by their characteristic “face mask”. Both sexes have distinctive, creamy-orange chests and faces. Their bellies are more brownish. Males have a dark grey to black back. The females are lighter grey in color. Pups are black at birth, but most at about 3 months old. Subantarctic fur seals have a short and flat snout and short but broad flippers.
Subantarctic fur seals are found in the southern parts of the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans. The largest breeding colonies are on Gough Island in the South Atlantic and Île Amsterdam in the southern part of the Indian Ocean. Breeding grounds are also found at Marion Island in the Prince Edward Islands, the Crozet Islands, and Macquarie Island. During the breeding season, Subantarctic fur seals spend time on rocky shores or boulder beaches.
Subantarctic fur seals are social creatures that live in colonies. Females spend most of their time with pups. They usually leave only for hunting and then come back to nurse their young. Males spend most of the year at sea or at colonies with other males, returning to breeding territories in early summer to mate. When on land outside of the mating season, males are not very active. The activity pattern of non-breeding males depends on environmental temperatures. When the temperature is under 18.5 degrees Celsius, males are nocturnal. They hunt in the evening and return on land in the late morning. However, when the temperature gets higher, they become diurnal. They leave the land at hot midday, cooling themselves in the water, and return in the evening to rest. This species uses vocal, visual, and tactile communication. Females mainly communicate with their pups, using a specific call as well as smell to establish the bond. Each pup as well as a unique call by which it is recognized by the mother. Males use calls and visual displays while competing for breeding territories and interact with females, when threatened or during physical fights.
Subantarctic fur seals are carnivores (piscivores) and hunt mainly in shallow waters. They feed on myctophid fish, squid, cephalopods, crustaceans, and sometimes even Rockhopper penguins and sea birds.
Subantarctic fur seals have a polygynous mating system in which males defend territories with a harem of 6-20 females. They defend these territories through fighting, vocalizations, and bluff. The breeding season takes place from November to January. Females give birth to a single pup after a gestation period that lasts around 51 weeks. After 8 to 12 days after giving birth females mate again. Weaning occurs when pups are 11 months old, shortly before the next offspring is born. Before weaning, little seals stay at the rookery. They spend time on land and in the water. Males in this species are ready to mate at 3 to 4 years of age, but full maturity is attained at 10 to 11 years when they are able to hold a harem. Females become reproductively mature when they are 5 years old.
Subantarctic fur seals have been hunted almost to extinction in the 19th century for its fur. Today, these animals suffer from climate change, entanglement in debris created by humans (polypropylene straps, fishing nets, nylon string) and infectious diseases.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of Subantarctic fur seals was over 400,000 individuals in the early 2000s. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
Subantarctic fur seals are key predators of myctophid fish and other species of fish and squid. They are also important prey item for sharks and orcas.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...