Citizendia
Your Ad Here

Fur seal is a common name that does not correspond to a single taxonomic unit. For Wikipedia aspects see WikipediaNaming conventions (common names, WikipediaNaming conventions, and WikipediaStyle manual. For a more comprehensive discussion of all eared seals, including the sea lions, see Otariid. For other uses of the term "sea lion" see Sea lion (disambiguation. The eared seals or otariids are Marine mammals in the family Otariidae - one of three groupings of Pinnipeds.
Fur seals
Cape Fur Seal
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Pinnipedia
Family: Otariidae
Genera

Callorhinus
Arctocephalus

Fur seals are any of nine species of pinnipeds in the Otariidae family. Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands The diverse order Carnivora (kɑrˈnɪvərə or sometimes /ˌkɑrnɪˈvɔərə/ from Latin carō (stem carn-) "flesh" + vorāre Pinnipeds ("fin-feet" lit "winged feet" or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semi-aquatic marine Mammals comprising The eared seals or otariids are Marine mammals in the family Otariidae - one of three groupings of Pinnipeds. The Northern Fur Seal, Callorhinus ursinus, is an Eared seal found along the north Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk The genus Arctocephalus consists of eight of the nine species of Fur seal. Pinnipeds ("fin-feet" lit "winged feet" or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semi-aquatic marine Mammals comprising The eared seals or otariids are Marine mammals in the family Otariidae - one of three groupings of Pinnipeds. One species, the northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) inhabits the North Pacific, while seven species in the Arctocephalus genus are found primarily in the Southern hemisphere. The Northern Fur Seal, Callorhinus ursinus, is an Eared seal found along the north Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk The genus Arctocephalus consists of eight of the nine species of Fur seal. They are much more closely related to sea lions than true seals, and share with them external ears (pinnae), relatively long and muscular foreflippers, and the ability to walk on all fours. For other uses of the term "sea lion" see Sea lion (disambiguation. The true seals or earless seals are one of the three main groups of Mammals within the seal Suborder, Pinnipedia. The pinna ( Latin for Feather) is the visible part of the Ear that resides outside of the head (this may also be referred to as the auricle or They are marked by their dense underfur, which made them a long-time object of commercial hunting. In Mammals pelage is the Hair, Fur, or Wool that covers the Animal.

Contents

Taxonomy

Until recently, fur seals were all grouped under a single subfamily of Pinnipedia called Arctocephalinae to contrast them with Otariinae - the sea lions - based on the most prominent common feature, namely the coat of dense underfur intermixed with guard hairs. Recent genetic evidence, however, suggests that Callorhinus is more closely related to some sea lion species, and the fur seal/sealion subfamily distinction has been eliminated from most taxonomies. Nonetheless, all fur seals have certain features in common: the fur, generally smaller sizes, farther and longer foraging trips, smaller and more abundant prey items and greater sexual dimorphism. Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different Sex in the same Species. For these reasons, the distinction remains useful.

Physical appearance

Fur seals share with other otariids the ability to turn their rear limbs forward and move on all fours. Fur seals are generally smaller than sea lions - at under 1 m, the Galapagos fur seal is the smallest of all pinnipeds. The Galapagos Fur Seal ( Arctocephalus galapagoensis) breeds on the Galapagos Islands in the eastern Pacific west of Ecuador. However, their flippers tend to be proportionately longer, their pelage tends to be darker and the vibrissae more prominent. A flipper is typically flat limb evolved for movement through water In Mammals pelage is the Hair, Fur, or Wool that covers the Animal. Males are often more than five times heavier than the females, making them among the most sexually dimorphic of all mammal groups.

Behavior and ecology

A seal at Living Coasts sunbathing on a rock
A seal at Living Coasts sunbathing on a rock

Typically, fur seals gather during the summer months annually in large assemblages at specific beaches or rocky outcrops to give birth and breed. Living Coasts is a site owned by Paignton Zoo it is based around sea birds and other coastal wildlife A rookery is a colony of breeding animals The term is most commonly applied to the nesting place of Birds such as the Crow and rook, a bird similar All species are polygynous, meaning dominant males reproduce with more than one female. Polygyny (which comes from neo- Greek: πολύ poly "many" + γυνή gyny "woman" is a specific form of Polygamy, For most species, total gestation lasts about 11. 5 months, including a several month period of delayed implantation of the embryo. Embryonic diapause or Delayed implantation is a reproductive strategy used by close to 100 different Mammals in seven different orders. While northern fur seal males aggressively select and defend the specific females in their harems,[1] males of southern species of fur seal tend to protect spatial territories and females are free to choose or switch their mates according to their own preference or social hierarchy. After several continuous days of nursing the newborn pups, females go on extended foraging trips that can last as long as a week, returning to the rookery to feed their pups until they are weaned. Males fast during the reproductive season, unwilling to leave their females or territories.

The remainder of the year, fur seals lead a largely pelagic existence in the open sea pursuing their prey wherever it is abundant and plentiful. Any water in the sea that is not close to the bottom is in the pelagic zone. Fur seals feed on moderately sized fish, squid and krill. Squid are marine Cephalopods of the order Teuthida, which comprises around 300 species Krill are a type of Shrimp -like marine Invertebrate animal These small Crustaceans are important organisms of the Zooplankton, particularly They are preyed upon by sharks, orcas, and occasionally by larger sea lions. Sharks ( Superorder Selachimorpha) are a type of Fish with a full cartilaginous Skeleton and a highly streamlined body The Orca or Killer Whale ( Orcinus orca) less commonly Blackfish or Seawolf, is the largest species of the Oceanic dolphin family

When fur seals were hunted in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, they hauled out on remote islands where there were no predators. The hunters reported being able to club they unwary animals to death one after another, making the hunt profitable even though the price per seal skin was low. [2]

Exploitation

Many fur seal species were heavily exploited by commercial sealers, especially during the 19th century when their fur was highly valued. Sealing redirects here for other uses see Sealing (disambiguation. Beginning in the 1790s, the ports of Stonington and New Haven, Connecticut were leaders of the American fur seal trade, which primarily entailed clubbing fur seals to death on uninhabited South Pacific islands, skinning them, and selling the hides in China. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National [3] Many populations, notably the Guadalupe fur seal, northern fur seal and Cape fur seal, suffered dramatic declines and are still recovering. The Guadalupe Fur Seal ( Arctocephalus townsendi) is a Fur seal. The Northern Fur Seal, Callorhinus ursinus, is an Eared seal found along the north Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk Currently, most species are protected and hunting is mostly limited to subsistence harvest. Globally, most populations can be considered healthy, mostly due to the fact that they often prefer remote habitats that are relatively inaccessible to humans. Nonetheless, environmental degradation, competition with fisheries and climate change potentially pose threats to some populations. Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as Air, Water and Soil; the destruction For the fishing industry and the practice of fishing see Fishing. Climate change is any long-term significant change in the “average weather” that a given region experiences

Species

See also

  1. ^ http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/NMML/education/Pinnipeds/furseals.htm
  2. ^ Muir, Diana Reflections in Bullough's Pond, University Press of New England, 2001
  3. ^ Muir, Diana, "Reflections in Bullough's Pond," University Press of New England, 2000,pp. The true seals or earless seals are one of the three main groups of Mammals within the seal Suborder, Pinnipedia. The walrus ( Odobenus rosmarus) is a large flippered Marine mammal with a discontinuous circumpolar distribution in the Arctic Ocean and Reflections in Bullough's Pond Economy and Ecosystem in New England is a book by Diana Muir. 80ff.

Dictionary

fur seal

-noun

  1. A marine mammal of one of the two groups of animals known as "seals", having small, visible ears and the ability to walk on land.
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic