Atlas of the Patagonian Sea. Species and Spaces

From Valdés to Georgias
From Valdés to Malvinas

Green Turtle

Antarctic Fur Seal (Arctocephalus gazella).

Regional Aggregations of the Antarctic Fur Seal (Arctocephalus gazella).

References. Green dots: colonies or breeding aggregations, and the percentage of the world population that each area represents. Blue text: those populations for which the Atlas provides distribution data. Red text: populations for which there are no data. Blue circle: colonies of origin of individuals studied with remote tracking devices.

During breeding and lactation (November-May), adult Antarctic Fur Seal females make feeding trips of up to 240 km from the colonies. At the end of the breeding season, some females migrate to the continental shelf of the Patagonian Sea, where they feed for most of the year.

Data on adult females (7 individuals) from South Georgia. Period: May-August.

Dataholders: P. Trathan and I. Staniland.


© Jim Large		Breeding aggregations
Feeding areas (S. Georgia)

Antarctic Fur Seal
Arctocephalus gazella

Location of the Regional Aggregations: The species breeds in sub-Antarctic islands.

Diet: Antarctic fur seals feed principally on krill, squid and fish.

World breeding population: Was estimated to be between 4.5 and 6.2 million for South Georgia (95% of the world population). The second largest population, at Bouvet, supported about 66,000 individuals.

Conservation Status: Least concern (IUCN, 2008).

Main threats: With a diet based on krill, it is expected that this species may be affected by the growth in krill fisheries. Entanglement in fishing gear is an additional threat.