Guadalupe Fur Seal

Channel Islands National Park: A user's guide

A trip to Channel Islands National Park is a trip back in time - before the Southern California highways. The park protects five islands and surrounding waters of the Pacific Ocean - the preservation of breeding sea birds and elephants. Plants and animals found nowhere else in the world to survive and, in some cases, thrive here. The isolation of the evolution of the Channel Islands has prompted some to call the Galapagos Islands in North America. President Franklin D.Roosevelt placed two of the five islands that now form Channel Islands National Park - Anacapa Island and the island of Santa Barbara - under the protection of the federal government in 1938 when he appointed the national monuments. The U.S. Congress March 5, 1980, created Channel Islands National Park, which includes the island of San Miguel, Santa Rosa Island, Santa Cruz Island, Anacapa Island, Santa Barbara Island, and submerged lands and waters within one nautical mile of each island. This is part of MNN 60 parks in 60 days project, a system user guide for American incredible park.Come with us as we explore a wide range of valuable national, provincial and local, the most famous national park in this city park special that only locals know. We will add a new park every day from now until the end of August - one more reason to visit more frequently MNN. You can read about all of them here.

Northcoast Marine Mammal Center

Harbor Seal Phoca vitulina ~ Meaning of Latin name: calf-like seal

Description Harbor seals have spotted coats in a variety of shades from silver-gray to black or dark brown. They reach five to six feet (1.7-1.9 m) in length and weigh up to 300 pounds (140 kg). Males are slightly larger than females. They are true or crawling seals, having no external ear flaps. True seals have small flippers and must move on land by flopping along on their bellies. In San Francisco Bay, many harbor seals are fully or partially reddish in color. This may be caused by an accumulation of trace elements such as iron or selenium in the ocean or a change in the hair follicle. Range Harbor seals are found north of the equator in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In the northeast Pacific, they range from Alaska to Baja California, Mexico. They favor near-shore coastal waters and are often seen at sandy beaches, mudflats, bays, and estuaries. Behavior Harbor seals spend about half their time on land and half in water, and they sometimes sleep in the water. They can dive to 1,500 feet (457 m) for up to 40 minutes, although their average dive lasts three to seven minutes and is typically shallow. They are opportunistic feeders, eating sole, flounder, sculpin, hake, cod, herring, octopus, and squid. Mating and Breeding In California, harbor seal pups are born in March and April and weigh between 13-18 pounds at birth. If born prematurely, harbor seals retain a whitish lanugo coat (which is usually lost before birth). A pup can swim at birth, and will sometimes ride on its mother’s back when tired. Pups make a bleating noise that sounds like “maaaa.” After about four weeks, the pups are weaned. Adult females usually mate and give birth every year. They may live 25 to 30 years. Status The total harbor seal population in the eastern north Pacific is estimated to be 330,000, and in California the estimated population was 40,000 in 1997. They are usually found in small groups, but sometimes occur in numbers of up to 500.

Description Steller or northern sea lions are sometimes confused with California sea lions, but are much larger and lighter in color. Males may grow to 11 feet (3.25 m) in length and weigh almost 2,500 pounds (1120 kg). Females are much smaller, and may grow to nine feet (2.9 m) in length and weigh 1,000 pounds (350 kg).

The Guadalupe fur seal, a status review

Field Guide to Marine Mammals of the Pacific Coast, Baja, California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia

Now commonly called the Guadalupe Fur Seal, because it breeds exclusively on ... Common names include the English Guadalupe Fur Seal, Spanish lobofino de ...

Marine mammals of the world, a comprehensive guide to their identification

Guadalupe Fur Seal — Arctocephalus townsendi Merriam, 1897 CD c ffl T3 CD 3 C3 ... Species characteristics Guadalupe fur seals are sexually dimorphic, ...

Alaska fishery and fur-seal industries in 1928

GUADALUPE FUR SEALS Recently considerable attention has been directed to the ... The Guadalupe fur seal formerly occupied not only Guadalupe Island but ...

Pigs, peccaries and hippos, status survey and conservation action plan

Although almost all Guadalupe fur seals are found on Guadalupe Island, 6- 10 animals ... Distribution of the Guadalupe fur seal (Arctocephalus townsendi). ...