Arctocephalus

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title: "Arctocephalus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["arctocephalus", "carnivoran-genera", "taxa-named-by-frédéric-cuvier"] description: "Genus of carnivores" topic_path: "general/arctocephalus" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctocephalus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of carnivores ::

| image = Seal_0906.jpg | image_caption = New Zealand fur seal | taxon = Arctocephalus | authority = É. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire & F. Cuvier in F. Cuvier, 1826 | type_species = "Phoca ursina" | type_species_authority = Schreber, 1775 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = Arctocephalus gazella

Arctocephalus townsendi

Arctocephalus philippii

Arctocephalus galapagoensis

Arctocephalus pusillus

Arctocephalus forsteri

Arctocephalus tropicalis

Arctocephalus australis | range_map = Arctocephalus.png | range_map_caption = | synonyms = * Arctophoca

• Cynophoca

The genus Arctocephalus consists of the southern fur seals. Arctocephalus translates to "bear head".

Taxonomy

The number of species within the genus has been questioned, primarily based on limited molecular data. The issue is complicated because some of the species are able to produce fertile hybrids. A recent review recommended the retention of seven species, deprecating the New Zealand fur seals to a subspecies of the South American fur seal, while also questioning the status of the Guadalupe fur seal. Other recent studies have indicated the genus may be paraphyletic, and some taxonomic reshuffling was previously done to account for this; however, more recent studies support it being monophyletic, with the alleged paraphyly being a consequence of incomplete lineage sorting.

Extant species

|clade= |style=font-size:100%;line-height:100%; |label1=Arctocephalus |1={{clade |1={{clade |1=Brown fur seal |2=Subantarctic fur seal }} |2={{clade |1=Antarctic fur seal |2={{clade |1=Guadalupe fur seal |2=Juan Fernández fur seal }} |3={{clade |1=Antipodean fur seal |2={{clade |1=Galápagos fur seal |2=South American fur seal

|name=Antarctic fur seal |binomial=Arctocephalus gazella |image=File:091130 rosita bay south georgia 2563 (4172615911).jpg |image-size=180px |image-alt= |authority-name=Peters |authority-year=1875 |authority-not-original=yes |range=Subantarctic islands |range-image=File:Antarctic Fur Seal area.png |range-image-size=180px |size=Male: 180 cm long; 130 - Female: 120 - long; 22 - |habitat=Neritic marine, oceanic marine, intertidal marine, and coastal marine |hunting=Krill, cephalopods, fish, and penguins |iucn-status=LC |population=700,000–1,000,000 |direction=

|name=Guadalupe fur seal |binomial=Arctocephalus townsendi |image=File:Arctocephalus townsendi.jpg |image-size=180px |image-alt= |authority-name=Merriam |authority-year=1897 |authority-not-original=no |range= |range-image=File:Arctocephalus townsendi distribution.png |range-image-size=180px |size= |habitat= |hunting= |iucn-status= LC |population= |direction= |name=Juan Fernández fur seal |binomial=Arctocephalus philippii |image=File:Lobo fino.jpg |image-size=180px |image-alt= |authority-name=Peters |authority-year=1866 |authority-not-original=no |range= |range-image=File:Juan Fernandez Fur Seal area.png |range-image-size=180px |size= |habitat= |hunting= |iucn-status= LC |population= |direction= |name=Galápagos fur seal |binomial=Arctocephalus galapagoensis |image=File:Galapagos Fur Seal, Santiago Island.jpg |image-size=180px |image-alt= |authority-name=Heller |authority-year= 1904 |authority-not-original=no |range=Galápagos Islands |range-image=File:Galapagos Fur Seal area.png |range-image-size=144px |size=Male: 150 - long; 60 - Female: 110 - long; 27 - |habitat=Neritic marine, oceanic marine, intertidal marine, and coastal marine |hunting=Small squids and a variety of fish |iucn-status=EN |population=10,000 |direction=

|name=Brown fur seal or Cape fur seal |binomial=Arctocephalus pusillus |image=File:Seals at Cape Cross, Namibia (3046555706).jpg |image-size=180px |image-alt= |authority-name= Schreber |authority-year=1775 |authority-not-original=yes |subspecies={{Collapsible list |expand=yes |title=Two subspecies |bullets=on |A. p. pusillus (Cape/South African fur seal) |A. p. doriferus (Australian fur seal) |range=Southern African and Australian coasts (dark blue indicates breeding grounds) |range-image=File:Arctocephalus pusillus distribution.png |range-image-size=180px |size=Male: 201 - long; 218 - Female: 136 - long; 41 - |habitat=Neritic marine, oceanic marine, intertidal marine, and coastal marine |hunting=A wide variety of fish, cephalopods, and crustaceans, and sometimes African penguins and other seabirds |iucn-status=LC |population=1,060,000 |direction= |name=New Zealand fur seal |binomial=Arctocephalus forsteri |image=File:Fur seal posing on top of the rocks.jpg |image-size=180px |image-alt= |authority-name= Lesson |authority-year=1828 |authority-not-original=no |range= |range-image=File:Arctocephalus forsteri distribution.png |range-image-size=180px |size= |habitat= |hunting= |iucn-status= LC |population= |direction= |name=Subantarctic fur seal |binomial=Arctocephalus tropicalis |image=File:Arctocephalus tropicalis CrozetIslands female.jpg |image-size=180px |image-alt= |authority-name=Gray |authority-year= 1872 |authority-not-original=no |range= |range-image=File:Subantarctic Fur Seal area.png |range-image-size=180px |size= |habitat= |hunting= |iucn-status= LC |population= |direction= |name=South American fur seal |binomial=Arctocephalus australis |image=File:SAFS Falklands.jpg |image-size=180px |image-alt= |authority-name=Zimmermann |authority-year=1783 |authority-not-original=yes |range= |range-image=File:Arctocephalus australis distribution.png |range-image-size=180px |size= |habitat= |hunting= |iucn-status= LC |population= |direction=

References

References

1. {{MSW3
2. (2012). "Pinniped Taxonomy: evidence for species and subspecies". Mammal Review.
3. Yonezawa, T.. (2009). "The monophyletic origin of sea lions and fur seals (Carnivora; Otariidae) in the Southern Hemisphere". Gene.
4. (2020-12-26). "Phylogenomic Discordance in the Eared Seals is best explained by Incomplete Lineage Sorting following Explosive Radiation in the Southern Hemisphere". Systematic Biology.
5. (2018-05-30). "The Origin and Evolutionary Biology of Pinnipeds: Seals, Sea Lions, and Walruses". Annual Reviews.
6. (2016). "''Arctocephalus gazella''".
7. (2015). "''Arctocephalus galapagoensis''".
8. (2015). "''Arctocephalus pusillus''".

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