New Zealand fur seal / kekeno: Birds Image Stock https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417 The New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) has dense, thick underfur which once made them a prime target for commercial sealing. It is known as kekeno in the Māori language and as the long-nosed fur seal in Australia. They are eared seals (family Otariidae), not true seals which means they have visible external ear flaps (pinnae), unlike "true" or earless seals (like leopard seals or elephant seals), which only have tiny internal ear holes. They have a special spongy blood-filled tissue (cavernous tissue). When they dive deep into the water, this tissue swells with blood to equalize pressure and protect the ear from collapsing. Because blood has a density very similar to water, this specialized tissue also lets sound waves travel smoothly straight to the inner ear underwater (losing less than 1% of the sound signal compared to 99% if the ear canal stayed full of air). These fur seals can rotate their hind flippers forward to walk on all fours. They have a pointed nose, long pale whiskers, and a double-layered coat of dark grey-brown fur that looks almost black when wet. They prefer rugged, rocky shorelines and exposed coasts around New Zealand, its subantarctic islands, and southern Australia. en-us (C) BirdsImageStock birdsimagestock@gmail.com (Birds Image Stock) Sat, 07 Nov 2026 18:17:15 GMT Sat, 07 Nov 2026 18:27:24 GMT Mammals Animals https://www.birdsimagestock.com/img/s/v-10/p1692557010-10.jpg New Zealand fur seal / kekeno: Birds Image Stock https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417 120 83 New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e64E25ED2

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]]> birdsimagestock@gmail.com (Birds Image Stock) Mammals Animals New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e617D1983 Sat, 07 Nov 2026 18:21:05 GMT New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e60728382

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]]> birdsimagestock@gmail.com (Birds Image Stock) Mammals Animals New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e60728382 Sat, 07 Nov 2026 18:22:16 GMT New Zealand fur seal / kekeno juvenile https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e6D3222E3

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]]> birdsimagestock@gmail.com (Birds Image Stock) Mammals Animals New Zealand fur seal / kekeno juvenile https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e6D3222E3 Sat, 07 Nov 2026 18:20:36 GMT New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e6A336AD0

]]>New Zealand fur seal with juvenile – Kaikoura, New Zealand.

]]> birdsimagestock@gmail.com (Birds Image Stock) Mammals Animals New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e6A336AD0 Sat, 07 Nov 2026 18:20:35 GMT New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e6A3DD025

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]]> birdsimagestock@gmail.com (Birds Image Stock) Mammals Animals New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e6A3DD025 Sat, 07 Nov 2026 18:20:57 GMT New Zealand fur seal / kekeno - juvenile https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e69FD5882

]]>Juvenile New Zealand fur seal / kekeno – Kaikoura, New Zealand.

]]> birdsimagestock@gmail.com (Birds Image Stock) Mammals Animals New Zealand fur seal / kekeno - juvenile https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e69FD5882 Sat, 07 Nov 2026 18:22:32 GMT New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e69FCD441

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]]>New Zealand fur seal with juvenile – Kaikoura, New Zealand.

]]> birdsimagestock@gmail.com (Birds Image Stock) Mammals Animals New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e69EEB279 Sat, 07 Nov 2026 18:20:49 GMT New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e61939450

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]]> birdsimagestock@gmail.com (Birds Image Stock) Mammals Animals New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e61939450 Sat, 07 Nov 2026 18:20:54 GMT New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e69DD1F4A

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]]> birdsimagestock@gmail.com (Birds Image Stock) Mammals Animals New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e602F6254 Sat, 07 Nov 2026 18:21:36 GMT New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e6AB1DCC7

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]]> birdsimagestock@gmail.com (Birds Image Stock) Mammals Animals New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e6AB1DCC7 Sat, 07 Nov 2026 18:21:44 GMT New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e65A01AAE

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]]> birdsimagestock@gmail.com (Birds Image Stock) Mammals Animals New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e65A01AAE Sat, 07 Nov 2026 18:21:50 GMT New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e65E3CFB6

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]]> birdsimagestock@gmail.com (Birds Image Stock) Mammals Animals New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e65E3CFB6 Sat, 07 Nov 2026 18:22:08 GMT New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e69BAC645

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]]> birdsimagestock@gmail.com (Birds Image Stock) Mammals Animals New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e69BAC645 Sat, 07 Nov 2026 18:22:31 GMT New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e69B0A99F

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]]> birdsimagestock@gmail.com (Birds Image Stock) Mammals Animals New Zealand fur seal / kekeno https://www.birdsimagestock.com/p654644417/e65785ED6 Sat, 07 Nov 2026 18:22:56 GMT