Wildlife tour Otago Peninsula

Tour with www.elmwildlifetours.co.nz (see link)

The Fur Seal has been a success story for recolonising an area from which it was hunted to extinction by Eureapean seal hunters last century. A very large population increase has occured over the past few years. Females reach sexual maturity at 4 years and bear their first pup at 5 years. Approximately 8 days after the birth of their pup, females mate with the local territorial male. Pups are weaned July/August after which time the female feeds at sea until November.


The Hooker Sealions are the rarest of the world's five species of sealions and are endemic to New Zealand. They are making a comeback to mainland New Zealand after being eliminated by Maori hunting centuries before the arrival of Europeans. The small number now established on the mainland exist in the Catlins and on the Otago Peninsula. They are gregarious animals and enjoy each others close comapany, unlike fur seals. Adult males reach 3 metres in length, weight up to 400kg and can live up to 25 years. Females are smaller an generally light in coulour. Sea lions are highly agile in the water and can dive over 200 metres deep.




The royal albatross from Taiaroa
Albatross are the largest of the worlds's seabirds with the Royal being the largest of all. It can measure 1.2 metres from the tip of iits beak to the tip of its tail and up to 3.3 metres in windgspan. The Taiaroa Head breeding colony is the only Albatross colony anywhere in the world which is based on a mainland.