Believe it or not, Cape fur seals aren’t ‘true seals’. Officially known as ‘eared seals’, they differ from true seals in that their ears have external flaps, they have large fore flippers and because their hind flippers aren’t connected to the pelvis, they can rotate forward. That means these sea dogs can walk and gallop on land, hear sound directions, plus swim and manoeuvre more powerfully than true seals.
Born between November and December, the pups start life on terra firma under mom’s beady eye and feeding off her milk. Born black, their coats turn grey after moulting. For the next six months, mothers spend a week at sea and a few days on land with the kids. Born without insulating fat, the pups can only go into the water after three months for short gambols.
At age one, Arctocephalus pusillus pups are ready to face the big wide world solo. Females are sexually mature at about age 3 and males at 5. However, males only reproduce from age 10.
Sexually dimorphic, males grow to 350 kg, whereas females clock a svelte 150 kg. In October males set about establishing territorial control and a real he-man might strike it big with a zone for 50 females.
Fur seals snooze on land with one eye open, but in the water they shut down different parts of their brains alternately so as to paddle along with their hunting party.
Alas, because of overfishing, they can’t stick to their favoured grub of fish but have adapted to find alternatives such as octopuses, rays, crayfish and even large sharks.
Ref: aquariam.co.za; photo: panoramicimages.com
