BREEDING HABITAT PREFERENCES OF THE NEW-ZEALAND FUR-SEAL (ARCTOCEPHALUS-FORSTERI) ON BANKS PENINSULA

Colonies of New Zealand fur seals (Arctocephalus forsteri) on Banks Pe ninsula, New Zealand, were surveyed between March and August 1993 to c ompare breeding and non-breeding habitat features. Breeding habitat wa s characterised by large angular boulders, beaches that were steeper t han those of non-breeding habitat, and numerous escape zones, crevices and ledges. Non-breeding habitat was less steep, had smaller rounder boulders and was less exposed to the sun. Multivariate analyses confir med that overall habitat differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). A linear discriminant function was calculated for the two ha bitat types. The resulting classification rule suggested that crevices . ledges and slope were particularly useful predictors of breeding sta tus. The rule had 96% success in classifying the original sites as bre eding or non-breeding and now requires validation by further field sur veys in areas with different climate, geology and latitude. If establi shment of breeding colonies at sites currently used only by nonbreedin g seals can be predicted from habitat features, this could provide use ful information for managers of coastal sanctuaries.