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Antarctic Fur Seal (Arctocephalus Gazella) - Coggle Diagram
Antarctic Fur Seal
(Arctocephalus Gazella)
How?
Much has the population decreased/increased in the last years
943,756 current mature individuals
Reducted/decreased by 50-57 percent
the Antarctic fur seal population had decreased by more than 50 per cent since 1999, from an estimated 2,187,000 mature seals to 944,000 in 2025
https://www.asoc.org/learn/antarctic-fur-seals-2/
18th through to the early 20th centuries, all fur seal populations on sub-Antarctic islands were decimated by the sealing industry for oil and skins, some locations resulting in extermination
https://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/animals/seals/antarctic-fur-seals/#Distribution_and_abundance
populations have been increasing at most breeding localities
populations recovered with the first pups born at Macquarie Island in 1955, and Heard Island in 1963
Do they hunt/scavage/feed
do they hunt alone/group
instead, they hunt and forage alone at sea
Their diet varies by colony and season, reflecting local environmental conditions and prey availability
Antarctic fur seals will forage over larger areas of the Southern Ocean when not breeding
primarily feed on
Antarctic krill
find alternative prey like fish or squid
When sea ice declines and the
ocean warms, the abundance and distribution of krill change
Do they breed
Females are gregarious and choose the best beach site on dry shingle
Males actively discourage females from moving to other territories
During the breeding season (late mid-November to early April), the foraging range of breeding females is restricted by their need to provision their land-based offspring
foraging trips are restricted to ca 100 km from their pupping locations
loss of breeding habitat because landslides are reducing the available coastal colony site
Are they directly affected by humans
Majority of endangerment issues are human led
Can we encourage conservation and the protection of a species
create/protect antarctic breeding locations
minimise carbon emission
encourage reducing climate changing actions
combat global warming actions to reduce ice melting
minimise human and antarctica fur seal interactions
minimise hunting/fishing krill and other food sources near seal locations
monitor krill density and population to ensure food abundancy
Who?
Who/what actions/environmntal causes has resulted in a negative impact on Antartic Fur Seals
Human Impact
Pollution
Garbage and solid waste
Antarctic Fur Seals often entangle their neck/chest through waste, resulting in injuries
Domestic and urban waste water
Traces of mercury, cadmium, organic pollutants (PCBs and DDTs), dechlorane found in seals
Fisherman/Hunters
Hunting and trapping
Fishing and harvesting
Environmental Impact
Other species
Inadequate food supply
their main food supply is antarctic krill
warmer water push them deeper underwater
Climate change
Warmer waters
increase disease risk for Antarctic Fur Seals
(Gulland et al. 2022, Sanderson and Alexander 2020)
Outbreaks are severe due to
Antarctic Fur Seal groups density
Habitat shifting/alteration
difficulty finding breeding grounds
Laws/Conservationist (to protect antarctic fur seals)
Treaties to protect Antarctic environment/wildlife from waste/pollution, captivity/harm
Antarctic environmental
legislation
https://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/environment/environmental-impact-assessment-approvals-and-permits/legislation/
Australian Centre for Excellence in Antartic Science
(ACEAS)
Tracking Antarctic fur seals ecosystem and climate (food, human effect, climate change)
https://antarctic.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ACEAS-AFS-Explainer-DIGITAL.pdf
https://antarctic.org.au/
https://documents.ats.aq/keydocs/vol_1/vol1_13_ccas_ccas_e.pdf
Collecting data and tracking?
Governemt related programs
Discusses distribution/population/breeding/diet/physical traits
ASOC
https://www.asoc.org/learn/antarctic-fur-seals-2/
IUCN
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/2058/293563664#threats
Australian department of climate change, energy, the environment and water
https://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=25908
Australian Antarctic program
https://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/animals/seals/antarctic-fur-seals/
Why?
Are they endangered?
Biological resource use
Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals
Problematic species/disease of unknown origin
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases
Problematic species/disease of unknown origin
Viral/prion-induced diseases
Problematic native species/diseases
leopard seal predation
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.796488/full
Pollution
Domestic & urban waste water
Garbage & solid waste
Climate change & severe weather
Habitat shifting & alteration
Previously due to sealing industry
18th through to the early 20th centuries, all fur seal populations on sub-Antarctic islands were decimated by the sealing industry for oil and skins
Are they important?
play a key role in tracking in environmenal changes
They can exhibit early warning signals of environmental changes through
they are sensitive to ocean and sea ice condition
https://figshare.utas.edu.au/articles/report/Antarctic_fur_seals_tracking_the_Southern_Ocean_s_changing_climate_and_ecosystem/30398782?file=59194076
Produce faeces and urine enriched in ocean-derived essential major and trace nutrients
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969725008307
animal-mediated nutrient recycling through waste (faeces and urine) can impact local productivity and biodiversity patterns
The Southern Ocean (SO) is the largest High Nutrient Low Chlorophyll (HNLC) region in the world's oceans with a low concentrations of essential trace nutrients
Antarctic fur seals (AFS) are an ecologically important predator and a focal indicator species for ecosystem-based Antarctic fisheries management
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.796488
Creates the balance between ecosystem
Feeds on antarctic krill, fish, squid
preyed upon by large predators
Antarctic fur seals sit high in the marine food web, when
environmental conditions change impacting prey
Has climate change affected the seals
ice melts/breaks
forcing pups into water before gaining independence
seal aren't able to feed themselves
increases chances of being killed and eaten by predator
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/climate/seals-sea-lions-and-climate-change-shifting-prey-and-habitat-impacts
Global warming
Affected their ecosystem
impacted food availability
Antarctic krill habitats
effected krill distribution
Nursing mothers dependent on krill during the breeding season therefore the availability of krill is important to the reproductive success of this animal therefore the availability of krill is important to the reproductive success of this animal
longer foraging journeys, and higher pup mortality
Nursing mothers must swim much further and longer to find food, leaving their newborn pups unattended on the beach for extended periods
Antarctic krill live in the cold waters of the Southern Ocean, ranging from the surface layer down to the seafloor, with young krill depending heavily on pack ice
https://oceana.org/marine-life/antarctic-krill/
habitat deterioration
sea ice concentration
Antarctc fur seals have to dive deeper/further to find food
https://www.marinebio.org/species/antarctic-fur-seals/arctocephalus-gazella/
rising ocean temperatures
population dynamic impacts
https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/2058/293563664#threats
What?
Do they eat
Antarctic krill
squid
fish
sometimes birds
Is endangering them
Climate change
how
disease
species that is at extreme conservation risk due to high pathogenicity avian influenza H5N1, potential incidental mortality in the krill fishery
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1453737/full
Their life cycle/span
When?
Did they become endangered?
Do they breed
they breed on land through November to April
How often do they feed
Are they endangered
Where?
Do they live
10 locations
Southern antarctic region
South Orkney
South Shetland Islands
South Georgia
South Sandwich Islands
Bouvet Island
Iles Kerguelen
Heard Island
https://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/animals/seals/antarctic-fur-seals/#Distribution_and_abundance
ice-free sub-Antarctic islands, rocky coastal terrain, and the productive marine waters south of the Antarctic Convergence
https://www.marinebio.org/species/antarctic-fur-seals/arctocephalus-gazella/
Have we seen the biggest largest decrease/increase in population
There poulation relies heavily on the maintence/advailability of their habitat
breeding
Food advailability
weather
Do they migrate
Movements between islands occur, mainly from high-density breeding areas to areas of lower density
Males from South Georgia and the South Shetland Islands typically migrate along the Weddell Sea and west Antarctic Peninsula
file:///C:/Users/wendy/Downloads/Arctocephalus_gazella_Pre-Publication_Assessment_RLTS_T2058A293563664_en.pdf
They aren't migrant
they dont migrate but due to climate change they are forced to dive further and deeper to find food (antarctic krill/ which lives in cold/icy waters)
