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Guadaloupe Fur Seal (Arctocephalus townsendi) is a rare animal but I was really surprised how few photos there are on Flickr (about 40 wild individuals). And I think this might be the only photo of a full adult male in the wild as all the others appear to be of youngsters and females. Females typically weigh just over 100 pounds whereas adult males can top 400 pounds. It doesn't really need saying but this is an adult male with a female on the left. They 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 these. 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".

Tags:   Guadaloupe Guadalupe Fur Seal Arctocephalus townsendi adult male San Benitos Baja Mexico Tim Melling

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Captured while hiking in some woods located in Hunt Valley, Maryland.

Tags:   Green

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Tags:   Elements

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