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Sleeping fur seal
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Fur Seal in Kaikoura - NewZealand
The New Zealand Fur Seal is only found on the coasts of New Zealand and it’s sub-Antarctic islands with a few colonies on the south coast of Australia. Unlike true seals they have visible ears and do not have a blubber layer so they have fur for warmth. The fur is in two layers. The outer layer of stiffer hairs is silvery brown when dry with the inner layer of soft water proof fur being reddish brown.
Male Fur Seals grow up to about 2 metres in length and weigh up to about 200kg. They have very thick necks and appear to have a mane. Because of this they are sometimes mistakenly called "sealions". Females are of slimmer build and only weigh up to about 100kg.
When they move on land the flippers are swung outwards and used in pairs or alternately. In fast land movement the hind flippers are always used in unison, as they are less mobile than the forelimbs, while the head is swung back and forth to give added impetus. Although they look ungainly on land it is surprising how steep a rock face they can climb and the speed that they can cross rough terrain is quite remarkable, especially if they are startled or feel threatened. Seals usually feed at night traveling out to sea, sometimes for days at a time, to feed on octopus, squid, lantern fish and barracouta. Once in the water seals are truly graceful and inquisitive creatures. They can reach speeds of up to 50 km/hr and have been recorded as deep as 274 m. Their dives average 3 - 5 minutes but can be as long as 11 minutes. They have been seen as far as 1000 km off shore and one seal tagged in New Zealand was seen in Australia.
During the breeding season, November to December, they are territorial and become very aggressive if approached to closely. Extreme care should be exercised if there are pups about or when you are between the sea and the seals. If a seal decides to make a run for the water it is not about to stop for you and a 100+kg of seal on top of you is no joke! They also have very large and dirty teeth; which can and do inflict serious injuries which will infect.
MAORI NAME for Fur Seal: Kekeno |
peter_stoeckl has marked this note useful
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Hi Michel,
very lovely, well composed picture with wonderful details and delightfully soft olive colours, showing a lot of sympathy for the animal. It invites me to have some refreshing sleep, too. Thank you for that very pleasant contribution! Best regards from the other side of planet Terra!
Peter
All of your photos are wonderful and the colors so natural. The color in this one is especially nice.
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