Brown fur seal
| Brown fur seal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Hauling-out on the Hippolyte Rocks off the east coast of Tasmania | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Clade: | Pinnipedia |
| Family: | Otariidae |
| Genus: | Arctocephalus |
| Species: | A. pusillus |
| Binomial name | |
| Arctocephalus pusillus (Schreber, 1775) | |
| Subspecies | |
| |
 | |
| Distribution of the brown fur seal, dark blue: breeding colonies; light blue: nonbreeding individuals | |
The brown fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus), is a type of fur seal. It is also called the Cape fur seal, South African fur seal and Australian fur seal.[2]
Description
[change | change source]Adult male brown fur seals are dark gray to brown, with a darker mane of short, coarse hairs and a light belly. Adult females are light brown to gray, with a light throat and darker back and belly. The front flippers of the fur seal are dark brown to black. Pups are born black and molt to gray with a pale throat within 3–5 months.
Ecology
[change | change source]Predators
[change | change source]The brown fur seal's main predator is the great white shark. Other predators include, killer whales and southern elephant seals. Land predators include black-backed jackals and brown hyenas on the Skeleton Coast in Namibia.[3]
In popular culture
[change | change source]Cape fur seals are shown as "The Scoundrel" in the 2021 nature program Penguin Town.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Hofmeyr, G. & Gales, N. (2008). "Arctocephalus pusillus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2008. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
- ↑ "Fur Seals | National Geographic". Animals. 2010-04-11. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
- ↑ Penry, Gwenith S.; Baartman, Ashwynn C.; Bester, Marthán N. (2013). "Vagrant elephant seal predation on Cape fur seal pups, Plettenberg Bay, South Africa".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
