Seals in Kaikoura, New Zealand.

NEW ZEALAND FUR SEAL
( Arctocephalus forsteri )
MAORI NAME - Kekeno

Fur Seal. The New Zealand Fur Seal is only found on the coasts of New Zealand and it’s sub-Antarctic islands with a few colonies on the south coast of Australia. Unlike true seals they have visible ears and do not have a blubber layer so they have fur for warmth. The fur is in two layers. The outer layer of stiffer hairs is silvery brown when dry with the inner layer of soft water proof fur being reddish brown.

Male Fur Seals grow up to about 2 metres in length and weigh up to about 200kg. They have very thick necks and appear to have a mane. Because of this they are sometimes mistakenly called "sealions". Females are of slimmer build and only weigh up to about 100kg.
When they move on land the flippers are swung outwards and used in pairs or alternately. In fast land movement the hind flippers are always used in unison, as they are less mobile than the forelimbs, while the head is swung back and forth to give added impetus. Although they look ungainly on land it is surprising how steep a rock face they can climb and the speed that they can cross rough terrain is quite remarkable, especially if they are startled or feel threatened. Seals usually feed at night traveling out to sea, sometimes for days at a time, to feed on octopus, squid, lantern fish and barracouta. Once in the water seals are truly graceful and inquisitive creatures. They can reach speeds of up to 50km/hr and have been recorded as deep as 274metres. Their dives average 3 - 5 minutes but can be as long as 11 minutes. They have been seen as far as 1000km off shore and one seal tagged in New Zealand was seen in Australia.

During the breeding season, November to December, they are territorial and become very aggressive if approached to closely. Extreme care should be exercised if there are pups about or when you are between the sea and the seals. If a seal decides to make a run for the water it is not about to stop for you and a 100+kg of seal on top of you is no joke! They also have very large and dirty teeth. which can and do inflict serious injuries which WILL infect.
Seals head. In a breeding group there will be a dominant male with up to 30 females, sometimes more, which leads to fierce fighting among the bulls. Female seals start to breed at 3 - 4 years old. The gestation period, which they can control, is about 51 weeks. They give birth and mate again about 1 week later. For every pup she suckles she is carrying the embryo of another. About 7 - 10 days after the pup is born she will start leaving it alone while she goes out to sea to feed. At first she will only be away for a short time but as the pup grows older she will spend longer and longer periods away, sometimes 2 - 3 days at a time.New Zealand Fur Seals were once found in abundance on the shores of both the mainland and offshore islands of New Zealand but in the early 1800’s they were hunted to near extinction for their fur which was used for hats, coats clothing etc. In 1824 one expedition alone took from 70 - 80,000 skins from the south of New Zealand. During the peak of the sealing trade no less than 400,000 skins were taken from the Antipodes Islands alone. Commercial Sealing was stopped by the Government in New Zealand in 1946. Today they are slowly making a comeback. Seals & mountains

They have only bred in the Kaikoura area since about 1985, the population here being a transient one of approximately 2,000 with the greatest numbers occurring in winter. There are four main haul out areas along the Kaikoura coast ( Haumuri Bluff, Riley’s Lookout or Barney’s Rock, Kaikoura Peninsula and Ohau Point ) with breeding in small numbers at three of these.
Today seals are again finding themselves at the center of interest to commercial operators but this time it is in a passive way that the seals themselves seem to find very entertaining. Once in the water the seals are extremely agile and nosy creatures that love to show off their skills to the clumsy invaders of their realm. Seal Swimming with an experienced guide is highly recommended and a truly amazing event. To mingle with wild animals in their own environment is something few people will ever forget.