The Guadalupe Fur Seal (Arctocephalus townsendi) is a fur seal. It is one of six members of the Arctocephalus genus, but the only one to be found in the Northern Hemisphere. Sealers reduced the population to just a few dozen by the late 19th century, but the species had recovered to 10,000 in number by the late 1990s. Many individuals can be found on Mexico's Guadalupe Island. Image File history File links Arctocephalus_townsendi. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn2. ... This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. ... The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... “Animalia” redirects here. ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the production of milk in female mammary glands and the presence of hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex region in the... Families 17, See classification The diverse order Carnivora (IPA: or IPA: ; from Latin carō (stem carn-) flesh, + vorāre to devour) includes over 260 placental mammals. ... subfamilies Otariidae Phocidae Odobenidae Pinnipeds are large marine mammals belonging to the Pinnipedia, a family (sometimes a suborder or superfamily, depending on the classification scheme) of the order Carnivora. ... Genera Callorhinus Arctocephalus Fur seals make up one of the two distinct groups of mammals called seals. Both the fur seals and the true seals are members of the Pinnipedia, which is usually regarded as a suborder of the order Carnivora but sometimes as an independent order. ... Species Arctocephalus gazella Arctocephalus townsendi Arctocephalus philippii Arctocephalus galapagoensis Arctocephalus pusillus Arctocephalus forsteri Arctocephalus tropicalis Arctocephalus australis The genus Arctocephalus consists of eight of the nine species of fur seal. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal system of naming species. ... Clinton Hart Merriam (December 5, 1855-March 19, 1942) was an American zoologist and ornithologist. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Image File history File links Arctocephalus_townsendi_distribution. ... Genera Callorhinus Arctocephalus Fur seals, or Arctocephalinae make up one of the two distinct groups of mammals called seals. Fur seals are usually smaller than sea lions and have a coat of dense fur intermixed with guard hairs. ... Species Arctocephalus gazella Arctocephalus townsendi Arctocephalus philippii Arctocephalus galapagoensis Arctocephalus pusillus Arctocephalus forsteri Arctocephalus tropicalis Arctocephalus australis The genus Arctocephalus consists of eight of the nine species of fur seal. ... The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planets surface (or celestial sphere) that is north of the equator (the word hemisphere literally means half ball). On the Earth, the Northern Hemisphere contains most of the land and about 88-90% of the human population. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Southeast coast of Guadalupe Island For the French Caribbean island, see Guadeloupe. ...

Biology

Guadalupe fur seals are sexually dimorphic in size, with the males being much larger than females, although few specimens have been measured. Individuals of both sexes are dark brown or dusky black, with the guard hairs on the back of the neck being yellowish or light tan. Pups are born with a black coat similar to that of adults. Observations suggest that reproductive males are faithful to particular sites over a number of years. Tenure of territorial males lasts from 35-122 days. Births occur from mid-June through July, with most births taking place in June.

Distribution

Guadalupe fur seals breed along the eastern coast of Guadalupe Island, approximately 200 km west of Baja California. In addition, individuals have been sighted in the southern California Channel Islands, including two males who established territories on San Nicolas Island.

Impacts on Guadalupe Fur Seals

The major cause of the Guadalupe fur seal's decline was commercial hunting in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The species was exterminated in southern California waters by 1825. Commercial sealing continued in Mexican waters through 1894.

Recovery Efforts

No recovery plan for this species has been prepared, nor has a recovery team been established. The principal cause of the decline in Guadalupe fur seals was commercial sealing. The species is now protected from such activity throughout its range, and the magnitude of the threat to the species is considered to be low. The portion of the Guadalupe fur seal's range which is under U.S. jurisdiction is at the limit of the species range. No activities in areas under U.S. jurisdiction are known to be adversely affecting recovery of this species at the present time. Therefore, management activities in the U.S. portion of its range are not likely to contribute substantially to recovery. However, Guadalupe fur seals are protected from Federal actions that are likely to jeopardize the species through interagency coordination under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act. No other specific actions necessary for the recovery of the species have been identified, and no direct recovery actions are being implemented.

References

• Seal Specialist Group (1996). Arctocephalus townsendi. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 10 May 2006. Listed as Vulnerable (VU D2 v2.3)
• Randall R. Reeves, Brent S. Stewart, Phillip J. Clapham and James A. Powell (2002). National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. ISBN 0375411410. 

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

External link

• ARKive - images and movies of the Guadalupe fur seal (Arctocephalus townsendi)
• Fur Seal Preys on Penguin