Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella)
Antarctic fur seals are one of the eared seals from the same family as sea lions, rather than one of the true seals like the common seal seen in the UK. Antarctic fur seals feast primarily on tiny krill, but they also hunt fish and squid.
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Seals hunting penguins
Planet Earth
Penguins run the gauntlet of ferocious fur seals to reach their hungry chicks.
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Planet Earth: Shallow Seas
David Attenborough narrates the epic journey of a humpback whale and calf.
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Scientist Ewan Edwards investigates whether blond fur seal pups enjoy the lighter side of life.
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Surrounded by fur seals
Wildlife cameraman John Aitchison becomes a victim of crime in a bustling fur seal colony.
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About the Antarctic fur seal
The Antarctic Fur Seal (Arctocephalus gazella) is one of eight seals in the genus Arctocephalus, and one of the nine fur seals in the family Arctocephalinae. As its name suggests, the Antarctic Fur Seal is distributed in Antarctic waters. Around 95% of the world population breeds at the Island of South Georgia. It is named for the German naval vessel the SMS Gazelle which collected the first specimen from Kerguelen Island. The species is also known as the Kerguelen Fur Seal.
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Scientific Classification
Family: Eared seal (Otariidae)
Species: Antarctic Fur Seal (gazella)
Other Arctocephalus
- Brown fur seal (pusillus)
- Galápagos fur seal (galapagoensis)
Common Names
Kerguelen fur seal
The Antarctic fur seal is
- Adapted to swimming
- Carnivorous
- Helpless at birth
- Hierarchical
- Polygynous
- Social
- Territorial
- Viviparous
Adaptation data provided by Animal Diversity Web
Where can I see them?
They can be found in the following habitats:
Conservation Status
The Antarctic fur seal is Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
- EX - Extinct
- EW
- CR - Threatened
- EN - Threatened
- VU - Threatened
- NT
- LC - Least concern
Population trend: Increasing
Year assessed: 2008
Elsewhere on the web
- New zealand fur seal - Arctocephalus forsteri (arkive.org)
- Arctocephalus gazella (animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu)
- IUCN Red List information (iucnredlist.org)
- Tagging of Pacific Predators: recent research (topp.org)
- Antarctic Fur Seal (wikipedia.org)
Site links
BBC links
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