Arctocephalus gazella

The Antarctic fur seal, sometimes called the Kerguelen fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella), is one of eight seals in the genus Arctocephalus, and one of nine fur seals in the subfamily Arctocephalinae. As its name suggests, the Antarctic fur seal is distributed in Antarctic waters. Around 95% of the world population breeds at the Island of South Georgia. The Antarctic fur seal is a fur seal of the genus Arctocephalus, along with seven other seal species. This genus may be paraphyletic, that is, it does not consists of one common ancestor and all of its descendants; and it was suggested in 2011 that all the Arctocephalus seals be moved to the unofficial genus Arctophoca, with the exception of the brown fur seal (A. pusillus). However, a 2013 study found this to be a premature conclusion, though they also reaffirmed that Arctocephalus is paraphyletic. The Antarctic fur seal is thought to be most closely related to the subantarctic fur seal (A. tropicalis). Its species name gazella derives from the German naval vessel, the corvette SMS Gazelle, which collected the first specimen from Kerguelen Island in 1874. This fur seal is a fairly large animal and has a short and broad snout compared with others in the family. Adult males are dark brown in colour. Females and juveniles tend to be grey with a lighter undersides. Colour patterns are highly variable, and some scientists believe some hybridisation with subantarctic fur seals has occurred. Pups are dark brown on birth, almost black in colour. About one in 1000 Antarctic fur seals are pale 'blonde' variants. Males are substantially bigger than females. Antarctic fur seals grow up to 2 m (6.5 ft) long and weigh 91 kg (201 lb) to 215 kg (474 lb). Males live for about 15 years and females up to 25. Antarctic fur seals appear to act alone when foraging and migrating. Males breed polygynously; a strong male may have more than a dozen female partners in a single season. Territories are established on breeding grounds in October to early November, when the musty-smelling males are extremely aggressive in defence of their harems. Females gestate for just over a year – giving birth in November or December. Pups are weaned at about four months old. Juveniles may then spend several years at sea before returning to begin their breeding cycles.