Mammals
Guadalupe Fur Seal
Arctocephalus townsendi · also called Guadalupe fur seals
Believed hunted to extinction by the early twentieth century, a Guadalupe fur seal was rediscovered decades later breeding on a single island off Baja California, its population slowly rebuilding from a handful of survivors into tens of thousands today.
Overview
The Guadalupe fur seal, Arctocephalus townsendi, is a Near Threatened marine mammal native to ocean and coastal habitat in warm temperate waters off Baja California, breeding primarily on Guadalupe Island. Its dramatic near-extinction and rediscovery, unusual adaptation to warm water, and deep, far-ranging diving habits make it one of the more remarkable recovery stories among fur seal species found anywhere in the world.
A second chance found on one island
Written off as extinct for decades after relentless nineteenth-century hunting, the Guadalupe fur seal owes its continued existence entirely to a small group of survivors that clung on undetected on one remote island long enough to be found again.
Status
Near Threatened, having grown steadily since its rediscovery, recovering from near-extinction into a population now numbering in the tens of thousands, though still well below historical levels.
Guadalupe Fur Seal: common questions
Was the Guadalupe fur seal ever thought to be extinct?
Yes, this species was hunted so intensively for its fur during the nineteenth century that it was believed extinct by the early twentieth century, before a small surviving population was rediscovered decades later.
Where was the Guadalupe fur seal rediscovered?
This species was rediscovered breeding on Guadalupe Island off Baja California, where the small number of survivors gradually rebuilt into a much larger, recovering population over subsequent decades.
Why is the Guadalupe fur seal unusual among fur seals?
This species is one of the only fur seal species found in warm temperate waters of the eastern Pacific, unlike most fur seals, which favour colder, subantarctic or subarctic currents instead.
Is the Guadalupe fur seal population recovering?
Yes, this species has shown a steady population increase in recent decades, recovering from the brink of extinction into a population now numbering in the tens of thousands, though still below historical levels.