South American fur seal (Arctocephalus australis)
Group formation: Gregarious 10->100, male territories during breeding, females stay on rookeries
Size: males 2 m, females 1.5 m, calf 60-65 cm
Weight: males 200 kg, females 30-60 kg, calf 3.5-5.5 kg
Age: males 15-20 yrs, females 25-30 yrs
Sexual maturity: males 7 yrs, females 3 yrs
Gestation: 12 mths
Weaning: 7 mths to 3yrs dep. on environment
Diet: forage at night for anchovies, sardines, mackerel, cephalopods, crustaceans, bivalve mollusks, and gastropods.
Predators: sharks, killer whales, sea lions
Distribution: along the coast of South America, in Brazil; Chile; Falkland Islands (Malvinas); Peru; Uruguay
Chile: there are many colonies inside the fjords of Aysen and are a common sight, there are conflicts with salmon farms
Population size: 250 000
Conservation Status: Least Concern ver 3.1, Pop. trend: increasing
Threats: Illegal catches (especially around aquaculture), habitat degradation, chemical and plastic pollution, entanglement in fishing gear, bycatch, over fishing