Colour plates, Illustrations
160 pages, 240 x 170 mm
Publisher:
CSIRO PUBLISHING
Fur seals and sea lions are charismatic, large carnivores that engage us with both their skill and playful antics. Although all species in Australian waters were harvested to near extinction 200 years ago, fur seals are recovering and are now common in near-shore waters across southern Australia. Sea lions, however, are endangered. Their populations appear not to have recovered like fur seals and are declining at some locations. Fur seals and sea lions are important top level predators and play an important role in Australia’s temperate marine ecosystems. Key threats they currently face relate to human activities, particularly interactions with fisheries.
This book outlines the comparative evolutionary ecology, biology, life-history, behaviour, conservation status, threats, history of human interactions and latest research on the three species of otariids that live in the waters of southern Australia: the Australian fur seal, New Zealand fur seal and Australian sea lion. It also includes brief descriptions of Antarctic and Subantarctic seals that occupy the Antarctic pack-ice and remote Australian territories of Macquarie Island and Heard Island.
The first comparative account of an Australian marine wildlife icon
Summary of the enormous amount of new scientific information from studies in the past 10 years
Full descriptions of the species and their biology
Photographs and diagrams to facilitate species identification
Acknowledgements
1 Introduction
2 Evolution and recent history
3 Morphology and physiology: adaptations to marine life
4 Seals in southern Australia
5 Reproductive biology
6 Foraging ecology
7 Population biology
8 Conservation and management
Bibliography
Index
Natural history enthusiasts
Australian and New Zealand marine-associated scientific communities
Managers of marine ecosystems (including politicians, members of government departments and public interest groups)
Simon Goldsworthy and Roger Kirkwood are marine biologists with over 25 years' experience, specialising in the ecology of marine mammals and seabirds. Simon Goldsworthy is a Principal Research Scientist with the South Australian Research and Development Institute, while Roger Kirkwood is a Research Scientist at the Phillip Island Nature Parks, Victoria.
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