Habits
Male and female seals come together only during breeding season. Once they are mature, males never stray far from the breeding area. Females, however, make an annual migration to hunt in waters as far south as California. Much more agile than true seals (which do not have external ears), the northern fur seal uses its hind flippers to moce quickly over short distances. When swimming, true seals propel themselves through the water almost entirely by their hind flippers, but the fur seal uses both its webbed front flippers as well as its hind flippers. The northern fur seal' senses are well developed, but how it navigates underwater is still unknown. Scientists believe that it may rely on the taste or smell of various ocean currents for guidance.
Food and Hunting
The northern fur seal spends most of it s life hunting for food in the north Pacific. Its main food is fish, although it also eats squid and crustaceans. Like other seals, the northern fur seal uses its whiskers to catch fish. Each wishker has nerve endings that detect the vibrations made by passing fish. During the breeding season the females leave their pups regularly to make extended hunting trips. They travel distances of up to a hundred miles and are often gone for seven or eight days. The seals swim, rest, and sleep on the surface of the water until they reach suitable feeding grouds. They hunt mainly at night and can stay submerged for periods of up to seven minutes at a time.
Did you know?
Male and femal seals are so different in size that some naturalists once thought they were different species.
Fur seals are known to eat 63 species of fish but usually feed on just eight.
Most seals dive to an average depth of 200 feet, but fur seals dive to 600 feet.
The female's annual migration to and from the breeding grounds is the longest undertaken by any seal species. The trip can be as far as 6,000 miles.
One of the main reasons the United States purchased Alaska from the Soviet Union in the 1800s was to obtain the Pribilof Islands fur trade. Revenues paid for the purchase within three years.
Size
Length: Male, up to 7 feet. Female, up to 5 feet.
Weight: Male, 400-600 lbs. Female, 65-110 lbs.
Lifestyle
Habit: Females and young are migratory; males remain in well guarded territories. Male and female seals live seperatly.
Call: Harsh, purring sound.
Lifespan: About 20 years.
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