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New Zealand Fur Seal (Kekeno)

Last Modified: 20-2-2024 22:24

Fur seals basking on a rock in the Marlborough Sounds
Fur seals basking on a rock in the Marlborough Sounds
© Christopher Cookson  License this image

Once hunted to near extinction for their meat and skins, first by Māori, later by European sealers, NZ fur seal (Kekeno), Arctocephalus forsteri  numbers have recovered, and are common around the Marlborough coastline. A breeding colony on the Kaikōura coast is a popular tourist attraction, although damage to State Highway One following the November 2016 magnitude 7.8 earthquake has limited access. Fur seals can also be seen at Cape Campbell and in the Marlborough Sounds among other places in Marlborough.

The examples pictured were observed in Queen Charlotte Sound.

Image Date: 7/10/2012

Photographer: Christopher Cookson

Location: Latitude: -41.252464 Longitude: 173.982361

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