fur seal

noun

: any of various eared seals that have a double coat with a dense soft underfur and were hunted especially formerly for their desirable pelts:
a
: a large seal (Callorhinus ursinus) of the northern Pacific Ocean having its main breeding rookery on Pribilof Island in the Bering Sea

called also northern fur seal

b
: any of a genus (Arctocephalus) of seals chiefly of the southern hemisphere

called also southern fur seal

Illustration of fur seal

Illustration of fur seal

Examples of fur seal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This includes the pups of other seals, such as crabeater, southern elephant, and Antarctic fur seals, as well as fish, cephalopods like squid, and even krill. Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 28 Feb. 2024 Die-offs have also been observed in South American dolphins and fur seals. Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2024 The virus has led to clusters of illness in Gentoo Penguins on the Falkland Islands in January and in fur seals, elephant seals and other animals on the island of South Georgia last December. Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 12 Feb. 2024 Sea turtles and marine mammals such as fur seals have also been spotted on wrecks. Avery Paxton, Discover Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023 Between 2009 and 2019, plant cover has increased more than in the last 50 years combined and corresponds with rising air temperatures and declining fur seal populations, reports Phoebe Weston for the Guardian. Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Feb. 2022 Chinstrap penguins and fur seals face similar stresses. Joshua Goodman, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2023 Get up close and personal with Australia's unique wildlife on Kangaroo Island's nature reserve and see koalas, wallabies, kangaroos, fur seals, penguins, and kookaburras. Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 12 Oct. 2023 Thus far this year, SeaWorld San Diego has rescued 54 sea lions, 16 northern elephant seals, six fur seals, three sea turtles, one dolphin and one harbor seal. Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fur seal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1775, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fur seal was in 1775

Dictionary Entries Near fur seal

Cite this Entry

“Fur seal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fur%20seal. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fur seal

noun
: any of various eared seals with a dense soft undercoat

More from Merriam-Webster on fur seal

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