Galápagos fur seal

Galápagos fur seal
	Galápagos fur seal ( Arctocephalus galapagoensis )
Systematics
Order :	Predators (Carnivora)
Subordination :	Canine (Caniformia)
without rank:	Seals (Pinnipedia)
Family :	Ear seals (Otariidae)
Genre :	Southern fur seals ( Arctocephalus )
Type :	Galápagos fur seal
Scientific name
	Arctocephalus galapagoensis
	Heller , 1904

The Galápagos fur seal ( Arctocephalus galapagoensis ) is the smallest species of the southern fur seal .

features

The males are 150 centimeters long, the females 120 centimeters. The weight is only 65 or 30 kilograms. The color is gray-brown. The difference between the sexes is less noticeable in the Galápagos fur seal than in other species of the genus.

distribution

Two Galápagos fur seals on the island of Santiago

The Galápagos fur seal colonies live on 15 islands in the Galápagos Islands . They do not migrate or leave the archipelago outside of the breeding season. While the other species are more at home in cold or moderately cool waters, the Galápagos fur seal lives in a tropical climate zone .

Galápagos fur seals roam rocky shores, while the Galápagos sea lions, common in the same area, prefer sandy beaches.

Way of life

To avoid overheating, the seals stay in tide pools whenever possible, even when resting. The breeding season is in the cooler season between August and November. The young are born in October and suckled for up to three years, which is an exceptionally long time for seals. If another cub is born during this time, it must starve to death or its older sibling will kill it.

Inventory development

The colonies of the Galápagos fur seal were so extensively slaughtered by seal hunters that the species was thought to be extinct as late as the 19th century . The Galápagos fur seal was rediscovered in 1932, and since then, thanks to the strict protection measures of the Galapagos National Park, the populations have increased again to 30,000 to 40,000 animals.

Hazard and protection

The hazard situation of the Galapagos Seebären by the World Conservation Union IUCN with endangered ( Endangered specified). Like all species of this genus, the Galápagos fur seal is protected by the Washington Species Conference CITES Appendix II by restricting trade. The European Union adopts this diction by making the listing in Appendix B of the EU Species Protection Regulation 338/97. Since this regulation is transferred directly to the member states of the EU, the species is designated as particularly protected by the Federal Republic of Germany in the Federal Nature Conservation Act.

literature

Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .

Web links

Commons : Arctocephalus galapagoensis - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Arctocephalus galapagoensis in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2009 Posted by: D. Aurioles, F. Trillmich, (IUCN SSC Pinniped Specialist Group), 2008. Retrieved on January 8 of 2010.
WISIA Tracing Service for Endangered Species. In: WISIA Online. German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, accessed on January 8, 2010 .
The CITES Appendices. Retrieved on September 12, 2012 (English, The Appendixes of the Washington Convention on the Protection of Species, CITES).
Photos of Galápagos fur seals