Editing Fur seal (section)

==Behavior and ecology==
[[File:Seal Sunbathing.jpg|thumb|right|A fur seal at [[Living Coasts]], sunbathing on a rock]]
[[File:Thousands of fur-seals on a St. Paul beach - a fur seal rookery.jpg|thumb|right|A fur seal rookery with thousands of seals]]
[[File:2021-06 Amsterdam Island - Subantarctic fur seal 34.jpg  |thumb|right|[[Subantarctic fur seal]] pups swimming in the ocean]]
Typically, fur seals gather during the summer in large [[rookeries]] at specific beaches or rocky outcrops to give birth and breed. All species are [[Polygyny in animals|polygynous]], meaning dominant males reproduce with more than one female. For most species, total gestation lasts about 11.5 months, including a several-month period of [[delayed implantation]] of the embryo. Northern fur seal males aggressively select and defend the specific females in their harems.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070818070157/http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/nmml/education/Pinnipeds/furseals.htm Fur Seals (Arctocephalinae)]. afsc.noaa.gov</ref> Females typically reach sexual maturity around 3–4 years.  The males reach sexual maturity around the same time, but do not become territorial or mate until 6–10 years.  

The breeding season typically begins in November and lasts 2–3 months.  The northern fur seals begin their breeding season as early as June due to their region, climate, and resources.  In all cases, the males arrive a few weeks early to fight for their territory and groups of females  with which to mate.  They congregate at rocky, isolated breeding grounds and defend their territory through fighting and vocalization.  Males typically do not leave their territory for the entirety of the breeding season, fasting and competing until all energy sources are depleted.  

The Juan Fernandez fur seals deviate from this typical behavior, using aquatic breeding territories not seen in other fur seals.  They use rocky sites for breeding, but males fight for territory on land and on the shoreline and in the water.  Upon arriving to the breeding grounds, females give birth to their pups from the previous season.  About a week later, the females mate again and shortly after begin their feeding cycle, which typically consists of foraging and feeding at sea for about 5 days, then returning to the breeding grounds to nurse the pups for about 2 days.  Mothers and pups locate each other using call recognition during nursing period.  The Juan Fernandez fur seal has a particularly long feeding cycle, with about 12 days of foraging and feeding and 5 days of nursing.  Most fur seals continue this cycle for about 9 months until they wean their pup.  The exception to this is the Antarctic fur seal, which has a feeding cycle that lasts only 4 months. During foraging trips, most female fur seals travel around 200&nbsp;km from the breeding site, and can dive around 200 m depending on food availability.

The remainder of the year, fur seals lead a largely [[pelagic]] existence in the open sea, pursuing their prey wherever it is abundant. They feed on moderately sized fish, [[squid]], and [[krill]]. Several species of the southern fur seal also have sea birds, especially penguins, as part of their diets.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1007/s00300-008-0475-3 |title=Interannual variation in the diet of non-breeding male Antarctic fur seals, Arctocephalus gazella, at Isla 25 de Mayo/King George Island|year=2008|last1=Daneri|first1=G. A.|last2=Carlini|first2=A. R.|last3=Harrington|first3=A. |last4=Balboni|first4=L. |last5=Hernandez|first5=C. M.|journal=Polar Biology|volume=31|issue=11|pages=1365|bibcode=2008PoBio..31.1365D |hdl=11336/135116|s2cid=13332236|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.bas.ac.uk/documents/bas_bulletins/bulletin56_08.pdf |journal=British Antarctic Survey Bulletin |year=1982 |volume=56 |pages=75–79 |title=Predatory interactions between Antarctic fur seals, macaroni penguins and giant petrels |author=Nigel W Bonner, S Hunter |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121031025447/http://www.bas.ac.uk/documents/bas_bulletins/bulletin56_08.pdf |archive-date=2012-10-31 }}</ref> Fur seals, in turn, are preyed upon by [[shark]]s, [[orca]]s, and occasionally by larger sea lions. These opportunistic mammals tend to feed and dive in shallow waters at night, when their prey are swimming near the surface. Fur seals occasionally gang up and evict<!-- [[Expulsion]] ? --> sharks.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pare |first1=Sascha |title=Watch great white shark get mobbed by gang of seals in 'incredible and surprising' footage |url=https://www.livescience.com/animals/sharks/watch-great-white-shark-get-mobbed-by-gang-of-seals-in-incredible-and-surprising-footage |website=livescience.com |language=en |date=4 November 2023}}</ref> South American fur seals exhibit a different diet; adults feed almost exclusively on anchovies, while juveniles feed on [[demersal fish]], most likely due to availability.

When fur seals were hunted in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, they hauled out on remote islands where no predators were present. The hunters reported being able to club the unwary animals to death one after another, making the hunt profitable, though the price per seal skin was low.<ref name=muir/>