Subantarctic fur seal

How it lives

Breeding runs from about October or November to January. Males defend harems, reported as about 6 to 20 females, and often have to wait until about 10 or 11 years old to hold one. Females first breed at about 5 years. A female has one pup after about 51 weeks of pregnancy and nurses it for about 11 months. Lifespans are about 15 to 25 years, depending on the source.

Where it goes

Subantarctic fur seals breed on remote islands north of Antarctica and feed at sea in the surrounding waters. One source says they can swim up to 1,500 km while looking for food. The sources I read do not describe a set migration route.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

The IUCN lists the species as Least Concern (Hofmeyr, 2015). The last worldwide estimate, from 1987, was over 310,000 animals, and colonies are growing or at least holding steady. Three main breeding sites hold about 95% of the population: Amsterdam Island, Gough Island and the Prince Edward Islands. On the Prince Edward Islands, one source gives roughly 50,000 pups a year on Marion Island and 30,000 on Prince Edward Island. Other colonies include the Crozet Islands, Macquarie Island and the Tristan da Cunha group. Hunting for pelts before about 1810 cut numbers sharply.