The subtropical fur seal [1] ( lat. Arctocephalus tropicalis ) is a fur seal found in the southern regions of the Indian and Atlantic oceans . First described by Gray in 1872, on the basis of a study of an individual from the waters of northern Australia - hence the incorrect tropicalis in the Latin name of the species. In the IUCN lists it passes as the species that causes the least concern [2] .
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Security status IUCN 3.1 Least Concern : 2062 |
Appearance
The subtropical fur seal is a medium sized fur seal. Males grow to 2 meters / 160 kg, females significantly smaller - 1.4 meters / 50 kg, respectively. The breasts and muzzle of both sexes are creamy orange, the color of the belly is closer to the brownish one. In males, the back is from dark gray to black, in females it is lighter gray. Puppies are born black, but molt at about 3 months old. The muzzle is short and flat. Fins are short and wide. Lives about 20-25 years [3] .
Area
Subtropical fur seal is widely distributed. As its name indicates, this species is distributed to the north than the Kerguelen fur seal . The largest breeding colonies of the subtropical fur seal are located on the islands of Gough (South Atlantic) and Amsterdam (southern Indian Ocean). It also breeds on the Prince Edward Islands (where its range intersects with the range of the Kerguelen fur seal), the Crozet Islands and Macquarie Island. At the intersection of the ranges of the subtropical fur seal can be distinguished from the Kerguelen on the orange chest of the first.
Currently there are about 300,000 subtropical fur seals in the world. Most likely, since the discovery of the species in 1810, its numbers declined due to the fact that during the XIX century this species was hunted for its hides. However, in most of the range, the population is rapidly recovering, including through protection under the Convention for the Protection of Antarctic Seals . A small population on Heard Island is under threat. Unlike the Kerguelen fur seal, which passed through the bottleneck about 1900 (only 1 colony of this species remained then; at present, the genetic diversity of the Kerguelen fur seal is reduced for this reason), the genetic diversity among subtropical fur seals remains high [4] .
Notes
- ↑ Sokolov V. Ye. The five-language dictionary of animal names. Mammals. Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / edited by Acad. V.E. Sokolova. - M .: Rus. lang, 1984. - 352 p. - 10 000 copies
- Hofmeyr, G. & Kovacs, K. (2008). Arctocephalus tropicalis . In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on January 30, 2009.
- ↑ Arctocephalus tropicalis. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 24 January 2006
- All Randall R. Reeves, Brent S. Stewart, Phillip J. Clapham and James A. Powell (2002). National Audubon Society Guide to Marine World. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. ISBN 0-375-41141-0