Australian Fur Seals

The Australian Fur Seal is found in the waters of Tasmania, Victoria and Bass Strait. It is the largest of the fur seals. A male Australian Fur Seal can grow as long as 2.3 metres and weigh up to 360 kg. Fur seals have a thick coat of fur all other seals have a thinner coat of fur. For insulation these seals rely on a layer of blubber that may be 2.5 to 15 centimetres thick. The female and young seals are pale fawn to grey to greyish brown to silver grey, with pale (often yellowish) throats and brown underside. The males have massive necks and shoulders and powerful canine teeth. They are dark greyish to brown with a paler underside, and a dark mane of coarse hair over the neck and shoulders.
	All seals have silk like nostrils which they also lay close when they go under the water. Some kinds of seals have a small head and a small nose. An additional pouch inside the nostril also inflates forming a tiny bright red balloon that adds to the display. Seals have large eyes and can see well in the dark. All seals have whiskers on their upper lip. The whiskers are sensitive to touch and help seals find their food. Seals have very sharp pointed teeth. Seals have four legs, but the leg bones above the ankle doesn't extend outside the body. The front flippers on a fur seal are longer and flatter than those of earless seals. Fur Seals front flippers may be more than 45 centimetres long and 15 centimetres wide. On land they mainly shuffle along, but can move in a sort of fast gallop when necessary.
Seals go to their rookeries for breeding young. More than 15,000 seals may gather at one rookery. Breeding occurs on exposed sights such as rock slopes, ledges, pebble beaches and reefs. Adult breeding males (bulls) arrive at the breeding sites in October (Spring) and established their territories (resolved through fighting). Pregnant females (cows) mostly arrive late November and generally gives birth to a single pup. About two days later, virtually a year since mating. After giving birth, the Australian fur seal female will remain ashore for six days and then re-mate. After this they go to sea feed for a few days at a time, returning for 2 to 3 days to nurse their pups. This pattern continues for 10 to 11 months until the pups are weaned. The mothers recognize their own pup by its smell and sound.
	Australian Fur Seals dive deep in Bass Strait to feed on small squids, octopuses, fish and rock lobsters. Their preferred prey are squid and small fish, such as schools of pilchards or mackerel. It seems probably that it finds some prey by echolocation (sound bouncing off things). Australian Fur Seals have very keen sight.
Fur Seals' enemies are large sharks, (particularly White Pointers) and Killer whales. Killer Whales are known as seal eaters but are rarely seen around the Australian Fur Seal breeding colonies. People have hunted fur seals for thousands of years. They hunt seals for their fur, skin and oil. They are protected in Australian waters. Seals often become entangled with fishing gear (lines, nets and ropes). They also swallow plastic bags, thinking they are a type of translucent squid or similar things. Toxic pollution and oil spills are also a danger to the fur seals.