Page 405 - (DK) Ocean - The Definitive Visual Guide

MAMMALS 403

ORDER CARNIVORA ORDER CARNIVORA Of the nine species of fur seals, most snub-nosed look. Their large eyes
live in the Southern Hemisphere; this allow them to see at night, which is
Antarctic Fur Seal Northern Fur Seal is the only northern species that exists when they do most of their feeding,
in significant numbers. Like other fur as their prey is closer to the surface.
Arctocephalus gazella Callorhinus ursinus seals, it has a thick, dark coat, external They feed mainly on fish, but also on
LENGTH 5–6 / 2 ft LENGTH 4 / 2–7 ft ears, and long front flippers that it uses squid and sea birds, and migrate far
1
1
(1.5–2 m) (1.4–2.1 m) for swimming and for moving around out into the Pacific after they breed.
WEIGHT 110–350 lb WEIGHT 110–600 lb on land. Males can be Most northern fur seals breed on
(50–160 kg) (50–270 kg) five times heavier than islands in the Bering Sea. Decimated
HABITAT Rocky coasts, HABITAT Coasts and sea females, but both sexes by commercial hunters from the
open sea in polar waters in cold-water regions have short muzzles, mid-1700s onward, they are now
DISTRIBUTION Southern Ocean DISTRIBUTION North Pacific, Bering Sea giving them a protected by hunting controls.
characteristic
Ranging further south than any other
fur seal, this polar species feeds on fish,
squid, and krill in the icy waters off
Antarctica. In spring it comes ashore
after spending winter at sea. Males are
up to three times heavier than females,
with an imposing mane and thickened
neck that gives them a front-heavy
appearance. This species breeds on
islands, such as South Georgia
and Kerguelen, and is rising
in number. This may be a
side effect of the whaling
industry, which has
reduced competition
for krill.

ORDER CARNIVORA ORDER CARNIVORA
South American California Sea Lion
Fur Seal Zalophus californianus
1
LENGTH 6 / 2–8 / 4 ft
1
Arctocephalus australis
(2–2.5 m)
1
1
LENGTH 4 / 2 –6 / 4 ft WEIGHT 240–880 lb
(1.4–1.9 m)
(110–400 kg)
WEIGHT 130–440 lb HABITAT Rocky coasts
(60–200 kg)
and open sea
HABITAT Coasts and sea DISTRIBUTION Pacific coast of the US
in cold-water regions
DISTRIBUTION Pacific and Atlantic coasts of southern Famed for its acrobatic antics in
South America, Falkland Islands
marine aquariums, the California
sea lion is just as agile in the wild.
Once found along the entire length Its sleek body is covered with short
of South America’s southern coasts, fur, which ranges in color from
this fur seal now breeds on offshore brownish black in males to light ORDER CARNIVORA on shellfish, which they find in the
islands, where it faces less disturbance brown in females and young; mature seabed sediment at depths of up to
from humans. It is blackish gray, with males may be more than three times Walrus 165 ft (50 m). They locate their food
paler undersides in females, and is as heavy as females and have a mainly by touch, using stiff whiskers
agile on land, using its flippers to distinctive bony hump on their heads. Odobenus rosmarus that resemble a mustache. At one time,
climb steep rocks. Males may be about They feed on fish and squid. LENGTH 10 / 4–11 / 2 ft it was thought that they used their
1
1
three times the weight of females. This (3.1–3.5 m) tusks to dredge up their food, but it is
species feeds mainly at night, hunting WEIGHT 2,750–3,750 lb now known that they uncover it by
fish, squid, lobsters, and crabs, and is (1,250–1,700 kg) squirting water with their mouths.
itself hunted by sharks and HABITAT Coasts and Once their prey has been uncovered,
killer whales. shallow open water they separate the soft parts from the
DISTRIBUTION Arctic Ocean, Bering Sea, Hudson Bay shells. It is unclear how they do this,
but their feeding technique probably
Instantly recognizable by its tusks, the involves suction rather than crushing,
walrus is the second-largest pinniped because intact shells are often found
after the elephant seals. Its skin is around their breathing holes.
unlike any other mammal’s, with deep Females give birth to a single calf
creases and wrinkles, but very little after a 15-month gestation, and they
hair. Its color varies enormously: breed only every other year. Walruses
young walruses can be very dark, are highly gregarious, making them OCEAN LIFE
while old individuals are sometimes easy prey for hunters. They have been
a mottled pink. Beneath the skin is a hunted by indigenous peoples for at
thick layer of fat, or blubber, which least 15,000 years, both for food and
keeps their bodies warm. Walruses feed for their hides.