A lazy afternoon at Cape Cross |
Females with richly coloured
coats |
Cape Fur Seals at Cape
Cross
The colony is the largest on any mainland. You
will find seals there throughout the year. The numbers fluctuate
between 80,000 to over 100,000 in breeding season. The Cape Fur Seal
is one of the three species of seal common to Southern Africa and
colonies can be found from southern Angola to Algoa Bay. Although not
classified as being migratory, tagged Cape Fur
Seals have been recorded as
having travelled from as far
off as Gans Bay (near Hermanus RSA) to Cape
Cross. Male Cape Fur Seals are not normally present at the colony during the
non-breeding season. Adult males (Bulls) weigh on average 190kg, but
when returning to the colony for the mating season which begins around November a large male can weigh in excess of 350kg
owing to accumulated fat reserves, much of which can be expended
within the six weeks breeding season amongst the members of harems of
between 5 and 25 females.
The female Cape Fur Seals (Cows) have an average weight of 75kg and
come on land to give birth to a single pup with a few short weeks of
the males arriving. Within one week of birthing the pup the Bull mates
with the cow. The fertilized egg stays dormant for about 12 weeks
before starting to develop as a fetus, so it would appear that the
gestation period is about 9 months. Pups are mainly born in the months
of November and December and weigh approx 4.5kg - 7.0kg at birth and
have a black pelt.
Note the ear |
Pup with black pelt |
Taking it easy |
Who's there ? |
Cautionary Notes: You will be observing seals in their natural
environment and you may find some of the sights a bit
distressing. Particularly the numerous dead young-seals during
and following the birthing season. It is in these times when the
jackals wait for the mothers to calf, and sometimes working as
teams, will try to distract the mother while the cub is being
kidnapped. Many seal pups are crushed under the weight of
shore-side bulls. Young children and some adult visitors can
become a bit distressed when seeing this. At Cape Cross there is
a low wall separating tourists from the seals. Please take care
when approaching not to startle the seals as this can cause a
stampede. You will see and hear the constant bleating of
young seals that have lost their mothers. After 'putting-out' to sea
many will die of starvation. The Namibia coastline is
seasonally littered with dead seals. Up to 50% of the pups born do not survive.
It is nature, the survival of the fittest, and what a joy to
behold those that did 'make it through'.
Acknowledgements and further reading: E1, E2, P1
Cape Cross is situated 115km north of Swakopmund You need to
budget 4-5 hours from the return journey. The site is managed by the Namibia Ministry
of Environment and Tourism; Office hours 10:00 to 17:00
Entry Fees Payable
Cape Cross
Diogo Cao a history
