fur seal

fur seal
any of several eared seals, as Callorhinus alascanus, having a plush underfur used in making coats, trimmings, etc.
[1765-75]

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Any of nine species of eared seals valued for their fur, especially the chestnut-coloured underfur.

Fur seals live in groups and feed on fish and other animals. They were driven nearly to extinction by fur hunters, and most species are now protected by law. The northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) is a migratory inhabitant of northern seas. The male is deep brown, has a grayish mane, grows to about 10 ft (3 m) long, and weighs about 650 lb (300 kg). The dark gray female is much smaller. The eight species of southern fur seals (genus Arctocephalus) occur in the Southern Hemisphere and on Guadalupe Island, Mex. They are brown or black and average 4–6 ft (1.2–1.8 m) long.

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mammal
 any of several eared seals of the family Otariidae valued for the quality of their fur.

      The northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) is a migratory inhabitant of northern seas, breeding in summer on the Pribilof, Komandor (Commander), and other islands. Prized for its chestnut-coloured underfur, it is a gregarious, vocal animal that feeds on fish and other marine animals. The adult male is deep brown in colour with a grayish mane and grows to about 3.1 metres (10 feet) in length and 300 kg (660 pounds) in weight; the female is dark gray and grows to about 1.5 metres (5 feet) and 60 kg (130 pounds). In 1911, after more than a century of extensive slaughter, the northern fur seal was placed under protection. By the late 20th century there were thought to be some one million northern fur seals, but this number was declining. The overfishing of its prey and environmental fluctuations were believed to be partly responsible.

      The eight species of southern fur seals (Arctocephalus) are distributed in the Southern Hemisphere, except for a herd of Guadalupe fur seals (A. townsendi) on Guadalupe Island off the northwest coast of Baja California. Southern fur seals are gray to brown or black in colour with chestnut-coloured underfur. Length averages about 1.2–1.8 metres (4–6 feet), but the South African, or Cape, fur seal (A. pusillus) and the Australian fur seal (A. pusillus doriferus) grow to lengths and weights of about 2.5 metres (8 feet) and 300 kg in the male, 1.8 metres and 120 kg (265 pounds) in the female. Like the northern form, southern fur seals are gregarious and carnivorous. By the late 1970s about 14,000 South American fur seals (A. australis) were being harvested annually. Other species, including the once-numerous New Zealand fur seal (A. forsteri), the Galapagos fur seal (A. galapagoensis), and the Juan Fernandez fur seal (A. philippii), all of which were hunted nearly to the point of extinction, have been protected by law.

      The harp seal is a fur-bearing northern seal of a different family (Phocidae).

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • fur seal — Seal Seal (s[=e]l), n. [OE. sele, AS. seolh; akin to OHG. selah, Dan. s[ae]l, Sw. sj[ a]l, Icel. selr.] (Zo[ o]l.) Any aquatic carnivorous mammal of the families {Phocid[ae]} and {Otariid[ae]}. [1913 Webster] Note: Seals inhabit seacoasts, and… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Fur seal — Fur Fur, a. Of or pertaining to furs; bearing or made of fur; as, a fur cap; the fur trade. [1913 Webster] {Fur seal} (Zo[ o]l.) one of several species of seals of the genera {Callorhinus} and {Arclocephalus}, inhabiting the North Pacific and the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fur seal — fur′ seal n. mam clo any of several eared seals having a valuable plush underfur Compare hair seal • Etymology: 1765–75 …   From formal English to slang

  • Fur seal — (engl., spr. förr ßīl), die Bärenrobbe, s. Robbenfelle …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • fur seal — n. any of several eared seals (esp. genus Callorhinus) with soft, thick underfur: see SEAL2 …   English World dictionary

  • Fur seal — Taxobox name = Fur seals image width = 250px image caption = Cape Fur Seal regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Mammalia ordo = Carnivora subordo = Pinnipedia familia = Otariidae subdivision ranks = Genera subdivision = Callorhinus… …   Wikipedia

  • fur seal — noun 1. an eared seal of the northern Pacific • Hypernyms: ↑eared seal • Hyponyms: ↑Alaska fur seal, ↑Callorhinus ursinus • Member Holonyms: ↑Callorhinus, ↑genus Callorhinus …   Useful english dictionary

  • Fur Seal Islands — Sp Pribylovo sãlos Ap Pribilof Islands Sp Pribilofo sãlos Ap Fur Seal Islands L Beringo j., JAV (Aliaska) …   Pasaulio vietovardžiai. Internetinė duomenų bazė

  • fur seal — /ˈfɜ sil/ (say fer seel) noun any of various species of eared seal, of the genera Callorhinus and Arctocephalus, which have under the outer hair a thick coat of fur of great commercial value (distinguished from hair seal) …  

  • fur seal — noun a gregarious eared seal of the Pacific and southern oceans, whose thick underside fur is used commercially as sealskin. [Callorhinus ursinus and other species.] …   English new terms dictionary

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