Guadalupe Fur Seal ( Arctocephalus townsendi )
Guadalupe Fur Seals photographed on Guadalupe Island. The male (on the left) is much larger than the two females in this photo, and you can see the difference in girth about the chest and shoulders.
Guadalupe Fur Seal (Arctocephalus townsendi)
The Guadalupe Fur Seal
The Guadalupe Fur Seal (Arctocephalus townsendi) belongs to the Otariidae family, which consists of fur seals and sea lions.
Guadalupe fur seals, Arctocephalus townsendi, were nearly extinct in the late 1700s and early 1800s due to commercial hunting. By 1825, they were nonexistent in California waters, but were hunted in Mexico until 1894.
The Guadalupe fur seal is a rarely-seen member of the Otariidae family. It has a long pointed muzzle and low sloping forehead. Like other otariids, Guadalupe fur seals can rotate their hind flippers under the body for terrestrial walking.
Guadalupe Fur Seal
Order: Carnivora
Family: Otariidae
Click to enlarge. (76 kb) ...
Guadalupe fur seal (Arctocephalus townsendi)
Juan Fernández fur seal (Arctocephalus philippii)
New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri)
South American fur seal (Arctocephalus australis )
Subantarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis) ...
There are eight species of southern fur seals, all smaller than their northern relative. They include the Guadalupe fur seal of Baja California, the South African fur seal, the South American fur seal, and the Australian fur seal.
South American Fur Seal (A. australis) Â- Australasian Fur Seal (A. forsteri) Â- Galápagos Fur Seal (A. galapagoensis) Â- Antarctic Fur Seal (A. gazella) Â- Juan Fernández Fur Seal (A. philippii) Â- Brown Fur Seal (A. pusillus) Â- Guadalupe Fur Seal ...
 See also: Sea Lion, Lion, California sea lion, Hawaiian Monk Seal, Monk Seal
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