Hooker's sealion (Phocarctos hookeri), Papanui, Otago Peninsula, New Zealand
This is the largest New Zealand pinniped. Males are up to 3.5 m long and weigh up to 450 kg. Females can weigh 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 this the world's rarest and most endangered sealion. The smaller females may look cuddly, but do not approach unless you don't mind a bite from those sharp, backward-pointing teeth. From a slide.
211031 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), Papanui, Otago Peninsula, New Zealand
This is the largest New Zealand pinniped. Males are up to 3.5 m long and weigh up to 450 kg. Females can weigh 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 this the world's rarest and most endangered sealion. The smaller females may look cuddly, but do not approach unless you don't mind a bite from those sharp, backward-pointing teeth. From a slide.
211031 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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