Head to head
Northern Elephant Seal vs Northern Fur Seal
The northern elephant seal and northern fur seal both suffered catastrophic historical hunting in the North Pacific, but for very different reasons, one for its blubber and the other for its uniquely dense fur.
| Northern Elephant Seal | Northern Fur Seal | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Mirounga angustirostris | Callorhinus ursinus |
| Seal type | True earless seal | Eared seal |
| Historically hunted for | Blubber (oil) | Dense, insulating fur |
| Signature ability | Extreme deep, long dives | Densest fur of any mammal |
| Population low point | Fewer than 100 individuals | Severely depleted, exact low less documented |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Vulnerable |
| Population trend | Increasing | Decreasing |
| Diet | Carnivore | Carnivore |
Northern Elephant Seal vs Northern Fur Seal: common questions
Why were both the northern elephant seal and northern fur seal hunted so heavily?
The northern elephant seal was hunted primarily for its thick blubber, rendered into oil, while the northern fur seal was targeted for its exceptionally dense fur, the densest documented in any mammal, two very different commercial motivations that both drove severe historical population declines in the North Pacific.
Which of these two seals has recovered more fully?
The northern elephant seal has recovered more completely, rebounding from fewer than a hundred survivors in the late 1800s to several hundred thousand individuals today and now classified as Least Concern, while the northern fur seal remains classified as Vulnerable due to continuing population declines linked to changing ocean conditions.
How is the northern fur seal different from the northern elephant seal on land?
The northern fur seal is an eared seal capable of rotating its hind flippers forward to walk and climb on land, while the northern elephant seal is a true earless seal that can only move on land by humping and wriggling along on its belly, a fundamental difference in mobility between the two seal groups.