How big does a South American fur seal get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:
A grown South American fur seal (Arctocephalus australis) reaches an average size of 1.65 meter (5′ 6″).
When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). During their lifetime of about 21 years, they grow from 4.45 kg (9.81 lbs) to 68.14 kg (150.22 lbs). A South American fur seal has 1 babies at once. The South American fur seal (genus: Arctocephalus) is a member of the family Otariidae.
As a reference: Humans reach an average body size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) while carrying 62 kg (137 lbs). A human woman is pregnant for 280 days (40 weeks) and on average become 75 years old.
The South American fur seal (Arctocephalus australis) breeds on the coasts of Peru, Chile, the Falkland Islands, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. The total population is around 250,000. However, population counts are sparse and outdated. Although Uruguay has long been considered to be the largest population of South American fur seals, recent census data indicates that the largest breeding population of A. a. australis (that breeds in Chile, Falklands, Argentina, Uruguay) are at the Falkland Islands (estimated pup abundance ~36,000) followed by Uruguay (pup abundance ~31,000) . The population of South American fur seals in 1999 was estimated at 390,000, a drop from a 1987 estimate of 500,000 – however a paucity of population data, combined with inconsistent census methods, makes it difficult to interpret global population trends.
Animals of the same family as a South American fur seal
We found other animals of the Otariidae family:
- Guadalupe fur seal with a size of 1.71 meter (5′ 8″)
- California sea lion with a size of 2.02 meter (6′ 8″)
- Brown fur seal with a size of 1.91 meter (6′ 3″)
- Arctocephalus forsteri with a size of 1.71 meter (5′ 8″)
- Steller sea lion with a size of 2.7 meter (8′ 11″)
- South American sea lion with a size of 2.11 meter (7′ 0″)
- Northern fur seal with a size of 1.74 meter (5′ 9″)
- South American sea lion with a size of 2.12 meter (7′ 0″)
- New Zealand sea lion with a size of 2.02 meter (6′ 8″)
- Antarctic fur seal with a size of 1.57 meter (5′ 2″)
Animals with the same size as a South American fur seal
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as South American fur seal:
- Naemorhedus sumatraensis with a size of 1.45 meter (4′ 10″)
- Common tsessebe with a size of 1.7 meter (5′ 7″)
- Common warthog with a size of 1.36 meter (4′ 6″)
- Hirola with a size of 1.6 meter (5′ 3″)
- Vaquita with a size of 1.52 meter (5′ 0″)
- Brown bear with a size of 1.49 meter (4′ 11″)
- Dall sheep with a size of 1.42 meter (4′ 8″)
- Calamian deer with a size of 1.39 meter (4′ 7″)
- Antarctic fur seal with a size of 1.57 meter (5′ 2″)
- Asian elephant with a size of 1.92 meter (6′ 4″)
Animals with the same litter size as a South American fur seal
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (1) as a South American fur seal:
- Nubian ibex
- Long-nosed potoroo
- Greater false vampire bat
- Burchell’s zebra
- Marsh deer
- Pileated gibbon
- Urial
- Chacma baboon
- Coquerel’s giant mouse lemur
- Dent’s vlei rat
Animals with the same life expectancy as a South American fur seal
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a South American fur seal:
- Bechstein’s bat with an average maximal age of 21 years
- Nile lechwe with an average maximal age of 18.67 years
- Nabarlek with an average maximal age of 17 years
- Red-necked wallaby with an average maximal age of 19 years
- Margay with an average maximal age of 20 years
- Black-headed spider monkey with an average maximal age of 24 years
- Nilgiri tahr with an average maximal age of 17.25 years
- Pacific white-sided dolphin with an average maximal age of 25 years
- Northern elephant seal with an average maximal age of 20.25 years
- Roe deer with an average maximal age of 17 years
Animals with the same weight as a South American fur seal
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Arctocephalus australis:
- Grant’s gazelle with a weight of 55 kilos (121.25 lbs)
- Jentink’s duiker with a weight of 68 kilos (149.91 lbs)
- Spectacled porpoise with a weight of 65 kilos (143.3 lbs)
- Alpine ibex with a weight of 69.42 kilos (153.04 lbs)
- Iberian ibex with a weight of 60.55 kilos (133.49 lbs)
- Commerson’s dolphin with a weight of 72.4 kilos (159.61 lbs)
- Desert warthog with a weight of 75.61 kilos (166.69 lbs)
- Taruca with a weight of 68.6 kilos (151.24 lbs)
- Caspian seal with a weight of 62.3 kilos (137.35 lbs)
- Nilgiri tahr with a weight of 73.94 kilos (163.01 lbs)