Morphology, age and survival of adult male New Zealand fur seals, Arctocephalus forsteri, in South Australia

Abstract

Nineteen adult male New Zealand fur seals, Arctocephalus forsteri, were marked and measured at the start of the breeding seasons in November 1992 and 1993 at Cape Gantheaume, Kangaroo Island in South Australia. The age of each seal was estimated from the number of cementum layers in a post-canine tooth. The males that were attempting to hold territories were 7–15 years old and the heaviest was 160 kg. The mass of males could be predicted accurately from linear measurements and several predictive equations enable estimation of mass in the field. The mean annual survival rate for adult male New Zealand fur seals was 76%, which is higher than that in other fur seal species, perhaps reflecting the expanding nature of the A. forsteri population in Australia.