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South American Fur Seal

 
South American Fur Seal

 
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South American Fur Seal
 
 
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The South American Fur Seal (Arctocephalus australis) is a species of fur seal
Fur seal

Fur seals are any of nine species of pinnipeds in the Otariidae family. One species, the northern fur seal inhabits the North Pacific, while seven species in the Arctocephalus genus are found primarily in the Southern hemisphere....
 that breeds on the coasts of Chile
Chile

Chile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow coastal strip wedged between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean....
 and Argentina
Argentina

Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is a country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city....
. The total population is around 250,000.

The population of South American fur seals in 1999 was estimated at 390,000, a drop from a 1987 estimation of 500,000. Although overall species numbers are healthy, the downward trend is causing some concern. Uruguay has the largest numbers of seals along its coast, numbering over 200,000.

South American fur seal has a dark grey coat of fur
Fur

Fur is a Hair of any non-human mammal, also known as the pelage. It may consist of short ground hair, long guard hair, and, in some cases, medium awn hair....
.






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The South American Fur Seal (Arctocephalus australis) is a species of fur seal
Fur seal

Fur seals are any of nine species of pinnipeds in the Otariidae family. One species, the northern fur seal inhabits the North Pacific, while seven species in the Arctocephalus genus are found primarily in the Southern hemisphere....
 that breeds on the coasts of Chile
Chile

Chile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow coastal strip wedged between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean....
 and Argentina
Argentina

Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is a country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city....
. The total population is around 250,000.

The population of South American fur seals in 1999 was estimated at 390,000, a drop from a 1987 estimation of 500,000. Although overall species numbers are healthy, the downward trend is causing some concern. Uruguay has the largest numbers of seals along its coast, numbering over 200,000.

Physical Description

The South American fur seal has a dark grey coat of fur
Fur

Fur is a Hair of any non-human mammal, also known as the pelage. It may consist of short ground hair, long guard hair, and, in some cases, medium awn hair....
. The males of the species are almost entirely this color, though they may have grey or tan grizzled markings. The females and sub-adult males have lighter grey or tan coloring on the chest and muzzle, and may have rust-brown or medium grey fur on their undersides. The muzzle
Snout

The snout, or muzzle, is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw....
 is flat-topped and pointed, with a medium-sized nose. The nostrils are forward-facing and the nose extends past the mouth. The ear pinnae are long and prominent, and the vibrissae
Vibrissae

Vibrissae , or whiskers, are specialized hairs, usually employed for tactile sensation, but can also refer to the stiff feathers near the mouths of some birds....
 of adults are creamy white and of relatively short length. Adult males are larger than females, with a thicker neck and larger shoulders. Males also develop a mane
Mane

Mane can have the following meanings:*The mane is used to describe the line of hair along the spine of the neck, starting behind the ears and ending just above the withers....
 of longer guard hairs on the head and shoulders. Size of the seals varies based on region but on average
Average

In mathematics, an average, or central tendency of a data set refers to a measure of the "middle" or "Expected value" value of the data set....
, adult males measure up to 2 m long and weigh 150-200 kg and females measure up to 1.5 m long and weigh 30-60 kg. Newborns are 60 to 65 cm and 3.5 to 5.5 kg.

Habitat

The South American Fur seal is found on neotropical ocean coasts from the Paracas Peninsula
Paracas Peninsula

Paracas is the name of a desert peninsula located in the Paracas District of the Pisco Province in the Ica Region, on the south coast of Peru. It was home to the Paracas culture, an important Andean society between approximately 750 BCE and 100 CE....
 of southern Peru
Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
 south to Cape Horn
Cape Horn

Cape Horn island is the southernmost Headlands and bays of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile.Cape Horn is widely considered to be the most southerly point of South America, and marks the northern boundary of the Drake Passage; for many years it was a major milestone on the clipper route, by which sailing ships carried tr...
 on the Pacific coast
Pacific Coast

A country's Pacific coast is the part of its coast facing the Pacific Ocean....
, and northward to southern Brazil
Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
 on the Atlantic coast
Atlantic Coast

The Atlantic Coast is any coast fronting the Atlantic Ocean. The term differentiates the coasts of countries or continents with coastlines on more than one body of water, such as North America, South America, Africa and Europe....
. They are also found on the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located from the coast of Argentina, west of the Shag Rocks , and north of the British Antarctic Territory ....
, Staten Island, and Escondida Island. Arctocephalus australis prefer rocky shores and islands, particularly those with steep slopes, which provide shady areas where they can escape the heat of the sun. They have been found in sea caves in Peru, where some climb up to 15 meters to find a spot to rest. Anatomical information for the southern fur seals Arctocephalus spp., is scant (W. Pérez).

The South American fur seal may be featured on the upcoming CBBC television programme Serious Ocean, in the Chilean Pacific region on the fur seal's range.

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