Adult males arrive at the breeding sites in late October and fight for territory before the females come ashore, the territories of the successful males eventually containing about 9 females. Most females arrive in late November and give birth about two days later. Pups are born from late October to late December with a black to brown coat. The lengths of the feeding trips increase over time. The female nurses her pup for up to 10 months but some pups have been suckled for a second or even a third year.
Males tend to disperse after the breeding season.
Their main predators are white sharks and killer whales. South African fur seals have been known to dive to over 400m while Australian fur seals are known to dive to over 200m on occasion. South African fur seals may live up to 25 years of age, while Australian fur seal males live for about 19 years and females for 21 years. In 1992 we protested in Rosebank, Johannesburg, against the Namibian annual seal slaughter. In subsequent years pickets were held at the Namibian DNCT office in Johannesburg and 5000 protest postcards were printed signed and sent to president Nujoma.