This dataset contains Predicted Habitat Suitability for the Guadalupe Fur Seal (Arctocephalus townsendi).
Guadalupe fur seals are members of the “eared seal” family, Otariidae. Their breeding grounds are almost entirely on Guadalupe Island, off the Pacific coast of Mexico, with recent re-colonization of the islands comprising the San Benito Archipelago. A small number of Guadalupe fur seals have also been reported on the northern Channel Islands off California. These seals are ESA Threatened throughout their range ( NOAA 2022 ).
The Predicted Habitat Suitability maps show the mean habitat suitability score for the species, as defined in CWHR. CWHR defines habitat suitability as NO SUITABILITY (0), LOW (0.33), MEDIUM (0.66), or HIGH (1) for reproduction, cover, and feeding for each species in each habitat stage (habitat type, size, and density combination). The mean is the average of the reproduction, cover, and feeding scores, and can be interpreted as LOW (less than 0.34), MEDIUM (0.34-0.66), and HIGH (greater than 0.66) suitability.
The CWHR Predicted Habitat Suitability rasters are named according to the 4 digit alpha-numeric species CWHR ID code. The CWHR Species Lookup Table contains a record for each species including its CWHR ID, scientific name, common name, and range map revision history (available for download at https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/CWHR ).
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