Thursday, November 17, 2011

kekeno sleeping


kekeno sleeping
on the sun-warm rocks, diving
deep in dreams for fish

Kekeno is the Maori name for the southern fur seal, a hardy animal that dives deeper and longer than any other fur seal. Strong swimmers, they love to explore and from a young age will venture all around New Zealand and as far as Australia. The fur seal was once hunted by Europeans in the 1900s but is now protected.

 
During our boat tour of Milford Sound, we are fortunate to observe a group of kekeno sunning on a large boulder. The one in the middle with her flippers spread wide looks like she's flying, and indeed these seals are graceful both in and out of the water.

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