Hooker's sealion (Phocarctos hookeri), loafing on a beach, Papanui, Otago Peninsula, New Zealand
This is the largest pinniped in New Zealand. Males are up to 3.5 m long and weigh up to 450 kg. Even females can top the scales at 160 kg and measure 2 m in length. Hooker's is endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. Only about 10,000 individuals exist, making it the world's rarest and most endangered sealion. The smaller females in particular may look cuddly and may have little fear of humans, but do not approach unless you don't mind a bite from those sharp, backward-pointing teeth. From a slide.
211026 001
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All images are the property of the photographer and may not be reproduced, copied, downloaded, transmitted or used in any way without the written permission of the photographer, who can be contacted by registering with flickr and using flickrmail.
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Hooker's sealion (Phocarctos hookeri), loafing on a beach, Papanui, Otago Peninsula, New Zealand
This is the largest pinniped in New Zealand. Males are up to 3.5 m long and weigh up to 450 kg. Even females can top the scales at 160 kg and measure 2 m in length. Hooker's is endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. Only about 10,000 individuals exist, making it the world's rarest and most endangered sealion. The smaller females in particular may look cuddly and may have little fear of humans, but do not approach unless you don't mind a bite from those sharp, backward-pointing teeth. From a slide.
211026 001
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All images are the property of the photographer and may not be reproduced, copied, downloaded, transmitted or used in any way without the written permission of the photographer, who can be contacted by registering with flickr and using flickrmail.
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