One of the 7 fur seals on WAnimals
Mammals · Carnivora · Otariidae
New Zealand Fur Seal
Arctocephalus forsteri
Least Concern
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.
The New Zealand fur seal, or kekeno, is the commonest eared seal in New Zealand waters. It was hunted almost to extinction by the whalers and sealers of the 18th and 19th centuries, and since full protection in 1978 it has been recovering fast, recolonising coasts from which it had disappeared more than a century ago. It is an exceptional diver: dives of more than 300 metres have been recorded. It breeds on rocky coasts and its pups play in the freshwater pools of coastal streams.
Weight
30 kg – 180 kg
Size
1.3 m – 2.5 m
Life expectancy
20 years
