Galapagos fur seal
The Galapagos fur seal is an endangered marine mammal native to the Galapagos Islands in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Characterized by their chubby appearance, they have dark grayish-brown fur on their backs and lighter fur on their bellies. Males can grow up to five feet long and weigh around 140 pounds, while females reach about four feet and weigh approximately 60 pounds. As the smallest of the eared seals, they possess a layer of blubber that helps insulate them in colder waters and serves as an energy reserve.
Galapagos fur seals primarily feed on small fish and lobsters, often hunting alone or in small groups. They come ashore to breed on rocky beaches from August to November, where males establish territories and compete for mates. Females typically give birth to one pup after a gestation period of about a year and nurse their young for an extended period. Despite their adaptability, the population of Galapagos fur seals, estimated at 10,000 to 15,000, has been declining due to various threats, including predation and human activities. Conservation efforts are currently underway to protect this remarkable species and its habitat.
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Galapagos fur seal
Galapagos fur seals are an endangered species native to the Galapagos Islands in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Female Galapagos fur seals nurse their young for quite a long time. Sometimes the pups, or young seals, are actually larger than the mothers before they are weaned from drinking her milk.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Otaridae
Genus: Arctocephalus
Species: Galapagoensis
Galapagos fur seals are chubby looking mammals with dark grayish brown fur on their backs and lighter fur on their bellies. They have a tail fin and two foreflippers that help them swim in water and balance on land. Galapagos fur seals are eared seals. That means their ears stick out on both sides of their heads. Male Galapagos fur seals grow to be about five feet (1 1/2 meters) long and weigh about 140 pounds (63 kilograms). The females grow to be about four feet (1 1/4 meters) long and weigh about 60 pounds (27 kilograms). Galapagos fur seals are the smallest of the eared seals. Like all other eared seals, Galapagos fur seals have a layer of fatty tissue, called blubber, located right under their skin. This fat is used to keep the animals warm in colder waters and acts as a storage place for food.
There are between 10,000 and 15,000 Galapagos fur seals living in the waters near the Galapagos Islands and their numbers are declining.
Galapagos fur seals eat small fish and lobsters. Galapagos fur seals often travel in small groups or alone when they are feeding. Like other fur seals, they are often found where the ocean current brings fish and other sea life up to the top of the water.
Even though they find their food out at sea, Galapagos fur seals come onto land and breed on rocky beaches. These beaches get very noisy and crowded during the breeding months. Often the males will fight with each other for mates. Successful breeding bulls, or males, have harems, or groups of female mates. Mating season for Galapagos fur seals takes place on the rocky beaches of Isabela and Ferdnandina Islands from August to November. The gestation period (duration of pregnancy) is about one year. The female then gives birth to one pup. Pups are usually black or very dark brown at birth, but their fur gets lighter as they get older. The female probably mates again shortly after the pup is born. Females usually nurse their young for quite a long time. They travel out to sea to find food for themselves and then swim back to the breeding ground to feed their young. When they come back from one of their trips to sea, each female finds her pup among the hundreds of others by yelling out her special pup-attraction call. The pup will recognize its mother's call and respond.
Galapagos fur seals protect themselves from predators such as human hunters, large sharks, killer whales, leopard seals, and polar bears by finding safe breeding grounds on land.
Galapagos fur seals have a life span of about 22 years. The population of Galapagos fur seals has been in decline for decades, and conservation efforts are active to save this endangered animal.
Bibliography
“Galapagos Fur Seal.” Galapagos Conservation Trust, 2024, galapagosconservation.org.uk/species/galapagos-fur-seal. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.
“Galápagos Fur Seal - Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio.” Animalia, 2024, animalia.bio/galapagos-fur-seal. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.