New Zealand Fur Seal / Kekeno (Arctocephalus Forsteri)

Hunted to near extinction the NZ Fur Seal has become a wildlife success story. They were slaughtered by early European sealers for their valuable skins that were taken for the fashion industry in Europe. There are shocking stories of ships arriving in England to find that 100 000 sealskins were deemed useless because they were damaged during the voyage!

Their population has dramatically increased recently and they can once again be seen around NZ South Island coastline and offshore islands. The first breeding colonies in the North Island were set up in the early 1990's. Males set up their territories late October and defend them with force. It seems that the bigger of the two usually wins. Males generally weigh up to 4 times the weight of the smaller 40kg females. The females have a single pup in November and mate again a week later! Delayed implantation of the egg and a 9-month gestation enables the female to mate and give birth at the same time.