New Zealand Sea Lion
Or
Hooker Seal Lion
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Oceanic Islands, Pacific Ocean: These sea lions inhabit the subantarctic islands of New Zealand, between latitudes 48 and 53 degrees S. Their population distribution is centered on the Auckland Islands
Habits: New Zealand sea lions inhabit the sandy beaches of New Zealand and its surrounding islands. The pups explore freshwater creeks and pools behind the beach for about their first six months, until their mothers introduce them to the sea. When not in the sea or on the beach, the sea lions can be found resting deep in the forest or on the tops of grass covered cliffs.
Food & Hunting: The New Zealand sea lions feed on octopus, small fish, crabs, mussels, and penguins. They swallow pebbles (gastroliths) to aid in digestion. Their intestines may contain numerous gastroliths of irregular shapes. They vomit these gastroliths, as many as 20 at a time, along with squid tentacles and small fish. These sea lions will not leave their territory to feed during the breeding season. They have learned to follow fishing vessels and take advantage of discarded or escaped fish.
Sea lion & Man: Each year dozens of sea lions die a painful, terror-filled death in the gigantic trawl nets of the Auckland Islands squid fishery. These sub-Antarctic Islands are the birth place of ninety five percent of the world's New Zealand sea lion pups. Since the squid fishing season coincides with the sea lions' breeding season, many of the victims are pregnant and nursing mothers whose unborn pups die with them, and whose pups on shore starve to death. The population may have been reduced by over 20% in the 1998 disease event. The actual extent of mortality of adults may never be known but over 50 percent of the pups died.
In 2002 the reduction in the number of pups born, by around 20 percent, and deaths of up to 25 percent of pups further threatens the sea lion.Approximately 95% of the sea lion population (estimated at little more than 11,000) breed on two very small islands off the Auckland Islands. Since trawl fishing for squid commenced in the Auckland Islands in the early 1980s, over 2000 New Zealand sea lions have drowned in trawl nets. Though sea lion deaths were recorded in the first experimental squid trawls undertaken near the Auckland Islands in 1978, sea lions are still referred to as an "accidental bycatch" of the squid fishery. In fact, sea lion deaths are an inevitable consequence of trawling near the Auckland Islands.
Breeding: Adult males flock to breeding beaches between October and early November in order to claim their territories. Pregant females arrive one month later. Cows come into estrus six to seven days after giving birth and matings take place from mid December to mid January. Most copulations take place on the sandy beach. Copulation ends when the cow bites at the throat of the bull. All births take place on the beach. Most births produce only one pup. The pup is nursed by its mother for about a year. Females produce their first pup around age four. Males become sexually mature around age five, but they do not mate until they are around eight years of age.
New Zealand sea lion pups are born covered with thick, dark hair. It is unknown when they lose this natal coat. Adult males become dark blackish-brown with a well-developed mane reaching to their shoulders. Females have lighter coloration, generally buffy or grey with a lighter ventral side. They may have darker pigmentation around their flippers and muzzle. There is marked sexual dimorphism, also, in size of males and females. Males reach a maximum length of up to 350 cm, while females reach a maximum length of up to 200 cm. Males may weigh as much as 410 kg and females as much as 230 kg.
Behavior: New Zealand sea lions are generally calm creatures. Social hierarchies are restricted to subadult and juvenile males. Only these males are able to establish territories, so the conflicts among these males usually occur when defending territories. Adult males are very intolerant of other adult bulls, but they are much more tolerant of the juvenile males and homosexual mounting between the two has been observed. Adult females congregate in large groups on the beach during breeding season. Cows break off into groups of about thirty individuals and depart for the sea. Cows are very tolerant of other females and of their pups.
Key Facts: Sizes, Weight, breeding, lifestyle,
related Species
Length: Length of males 2.5 to 3.5m. Length
of females 2.0m.
Weight: Males 410 kg, females
230 kg.
Breeding:
Sexual maturity: Males: 5 yrs old but
do not mate until around 8 years old, Females 4 yrs old
Mating: December to mid January
Gestation: Aproximently 14 months
No of Young: usually 1
Lifestyle:
Habit: Cows are very tolerant of other
females and of their pups. Adult males are very intolerant of other adult
bulls
Diet: octopus, small fish, crabs, mussels,
and penguins
Life span: Unknown at this time
Related Species:This family includes 14
species in 7 genera.
Distribution: The New Zealand Sea Lion
has a very restricted range within the New Zealand Subantarctic. The main
colonies are on the Auckland Islands (50°S, 166°E), Snares Island
48°S, 166°E) and Campbell Island (52°S, 169°E). They also
reach
the mainland of South Island.
Conservation: There are, at most,
between 3000 and 4000 New Zealand sea lions in existence. They were abundant
at their time of discovery in 1806, but their numbers quickly diminished.
They were exploited by settlers and shipwrecked sailors for their hides
and oil. Although they have been protected by law since 1894, their numbers
have remained unchanged in 70 years.
Facts:
World's rarest sea lion - with an estimated
population of only eleven to fifteen thousand the New Zealand sea lion
is the world's rarest.
Auckland Islands home - 95% of the world's
New Zealand's sea lions breed in the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands, about
300km south of Invercargill.
Sea lions killed - in the last ten years
at least 1000 sea lions have been killed in squid and other fisheries in
this area.
Drowned in trawl nets - sea lions are
drowned in the enormous nets used to trawl for squid. The nets resemble
giant socks, with openings around 60 metres high and 150 metres wide. Sea
lions have also been killed in fishing nets for orange roughy, oreo, southern
blue whiting and scampi.
Inhumane - Sea lions die in a painful,
panicked and utterly inhumane way as they are drowned or crushed to death
in the massive nets.
In 1998 sea lions were afflicted by a
disease that killed around 50% of pups and up to 20% of adults.
In 2002 pup numbers were down around 20%
and 25% of pups born have died from 'a' disease.
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