Guadalupe Fur Seal
The Guadalupe Fur Seal (Arctocephalus townsendi) were thought to have been hunted to extinction by the late 19th century. But in 1954 a small number were found in a sea cave on Guadalupe Island off the Pacific coast of Mexico. Protection has enabled their numbers to build up to about 10,000 animals and in 1997 they started breeding on San Benitos island, which is where I photographed this youngster. You can guess by their enormous eyes that they hunt at night, feeding on squid, mackerel and lanternfish.
There are eight species of Fur Seal, and they are related to sealions rather than true seals, so they have a pelvis with forward-pointing hind flippers, and external ears visible here. The scientific name Arctocephalus translates as "bear head" while townsendi commemorates Charles Townsend (1859-1944), an American zoologist who worked for the US Fish Commission on board the "Albatross".
Guadalupe Fur Seal
The Guadalupe Fur Seal (Arctocephalus townsendi) were thought to have been hunted to extinction by the late 19th century. But in 1954 a small number were found in a sea cave on Guadalupe Island off the Pacific coast of Mexico. Protection has enabled their numbers to build up to about 10,000 animals and in 1997 they started breeding on San Benitos island, which is where I photographed this youngster. You can guess by their enormous eyes that they hunt at night, feeding on squid, mackerel and lanternfish.
There are eight species of Fur Seal, and they are related to sealions rather than true seals, so they have a pelvis with forward-pointing hind flippers, and external ears visible here. The scientific name Arctocephalus translates as "bear head" while townsendi commemorates Charles Townsend (1859-1944), an American zoologist who worked for the US Fish Commission on board the "Albatross".