fur seal

noun

|Updated on: 24 Jul 2018

Definition of fur seal

: 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

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Recent Examples of fur seal from the Web

The barcodes also suggested the early New Zealanders hunted fur seals, sea lions, and elephant seals.

— michael price, Science | AAAS, "Ancient seafarers may have hunted whales around the world," 10 July 2018
On the platform, the researchers found, the fur seals slept much as land mammals do.

— carl zimmer, New York Times, "Hot Heads: Why Mammals Need R.E.M. Sleep," 7 June 2018
Fly under 2000ft waterfalls, through the fiords and land amongst the fur seals.

— tom ricketts, Town & Country, "How to Plan a Trip to New Zealand," 5 Oct. 2016
The team's captain was Daniel Webster, a longtime foreman agent in the fur seal industry in the Pribilof Islands.

— beth bragg, Anchorage Daily News, "150 years ago on St. Paul Island, Knock Down and Skin ‘Em became Alaska’s first baseball team," 17 June 2018
The Skeleton Coast with its desolate rocky coastline, noisy colonies of Cape fur seals and remains of shipwrecks is accessed either by a fascinating drive or scenic flight, depending on the weather.

— Town & Country, "These Are the 83 Top Hotels Around the World," 6 Oct. 2016
Sea lions and fur seals in Uruguay have become a tourist attraction—but the animals have become less tolerant of the disturbance.

— jason g. goldman, Scientific American, "Pinnipeds Don't Appreciate Biped Disturbance," 29 May 2018
Turns out fur seals have extra large eyes, just like Blue Man Group, but Ursula uses hers to catch fish, while Blue Man Group use theirs to snag marshmallows.

— mark shanahan, BostonGlobe.com, "Seal of approval for Blue Man Group," 23 May 2018
The surgery was the first of its kind to treat hydrocephalus in fur seals.

— sarah gibbens, National Geographic, "First-of-Its-Kind Brain Surgery Saves Beloved Fur Seal," 2 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fur seal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.