Sub-Antarctic fur seal

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Sub-Antarctic fur seal
Arctocephalus tropicalis CrozetIslands male.jpg

Sub-Antarctic fur seal ( Arctocephalus tropicalis )

Systematics
Order : Predators (Carnivora)
Subordination : Canine (Caniformia)
without rank: Seals (Pinnipedia)
Family : Ear seals (Otariidae)
Genre : Southern fur seals ( Arctocephalus )
Type : Sub-Antarctic fur seal
Scientific name
Arctocephalus tropicalis
( Gray , 1872)
Distribution map of the sub-Antarctic fur seals

The sub-Antarctic fur seal ( Arctocephalus tropicalis ) is a species of the southern fur seal . The scientific name tropicalis comes from the fact that the first specimen described by Gray is said to come from the north coast of Australia. It is likely, however, that this was a mistake, as no fur seal of this species has been seen in these tropical regions since.

features

Bulls are 180 cm long, cows about 140 cm. The weight is 150 or 50 kg. The sub-Antarctic fur seal can be easily distinguished from other species by its color pattern: it is colored gray-brown on the top, chest and face are white and males also have a black tuft of hair on their foreheads.

distribution

The sub-Antarctic fur seal lives on isolated islands around the Antarctic . More than three quarters of the total population live in the colony on Gough Island . The second largest colony is located on the island of Amsterdam, which belongs to the French Antarctic territories . There are also colonies on Tristan da Cunha , Inaccessible Island , Nightingale Island , the Prince Edward Islands , the Crozet Islands and Saint Paul Island . Outside the breeding season, individual migratory animals can be found on the coasts of South America , South Africa , Australia and New Zealand, as well as on South Georgia , Heard Island , Macquarie and Juan Fernández . Here they mingle with the native colonies of other fur seal species.

Duration

During the 18th and 19th centuries, all of the large colonies were nearly wiped out by seal hunters. In 1892 only 300 fur seals lived on Gough Island; The colony there is now estimated at 250,000 fur seals and is growing every year. The total global population is estimated at 320,000.

Hazard and protection

The sub-Antarctic fur seal is on the IUCN's Red List of Endangered Species , but it is not rated as endangered (it is rated Least Concern ). Nevertheless, like all species of its genus Arctocephalus, it is listed in the Washington Convention on CITES, Appendix II. This gives him worldwide protection from unrestricted trade. This status is also adopted by the European Union in the EU Species Protection Regulation (EC) No. 338/97 Appendix B. This is reflected in the Federal Republic of Germany in the Federal Nature Conservation Act , where the species is designated as particularly protected.

literature

  • Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0801857899

Web links

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