Afro-Australian Fur Seals are the largest of all Fur Seals. Mean asymptotic mass and length of males is 229 kg (range 218-360 kg) and 221 cm (range 201-227 cm), and females are 85 kg (range 41-113 kg) and 163 cm (136-171 cm; Arnould and Warneke 2002, Kirkwood and Goldsworthy 2013). Pups at birth are 60-80 cm in length and weigh 5-12 kg. The Cape Fur Seal is slightly smaller (Warneke 1995).

Females become sexually mature at three to six years and males at nine to 12 years. Maximum longevity recorded is 16.9 years for males and 20.9 years for females (Arnould and Warneke 2002). The annual pregnancy rate of females has been estimated at 71% for Cape Fur Seals and 73% for Australian Fur Seals (Warneke and Shaughnessy 1985, Wickens and York 1997). Gestation lasts 51 weeks, including a three-month delay of implantation. Adult mortality rates are unknown (Butterworth et al. 1995, Reijnders et al. 1993).

Cape Fur Seals are highly polygynous. The breeding season is highly synchronous, taking place between late October and the beginning of January, with adult males arriving at the colonies first. Females give birth 1.5-2 days after arrival ashore. The peak of pupping is in the first week of December (Warnecke and Shaughnessy 1985, David 1987a, De Villiers and Roux 1992). Adult females attend the pup for about six to nine days before coming into oestrous, mating, and departing on their first foraging trip (Rand 1955, Warnecke and Shaughnessy 1985). Foraging intervals are shorter for Cape Fur Seals (an average of 5.2 days) than Australian Fur Seals (six days), probably reflecting greater availability of food (Gamel et al. 2005, Kirkwood and Arnould 2011). While some pups may start foraging at seven months, they are usually weaned at 10-12 months, with suckling rarely continuing for two to three years (Warneke and Shaughnessy 1985, David and Rand 1986).

While Cape Fur Seals forage in both pelagic and benthic environments (Kooyman and Gentry 1986, David 1987b, Stewardson 2001), Australian Fur Seals are primarily benthic feeders (Arnould and Kirkwood 2008, Kirkwood and Arnould 2011, Kirkwood and Goldsworthy 2013). Characteristics of dives vary between sites (Kooyman and Gentry 1986, Stewardson 2001, Arnould and Kirkwood 2008, Kirkwood and Arnould 2011). The majority of recorded dives of Cape Fur Seals on the west coast of South Africa are to less than 50 m depth (Kooyman and Gentry 1986), while those on the southeast coast are to more than 60 m (Stewardson 2001). Mean dive duration of Cape Fur Seals varies between one minute (Stewardson 2001) and 2.1 minutes (Kooyman and Gentry 1986). Foraging dives by lactating Australian Fur Seal females are usually to 65–85 m with a maximum depth of 164 m, and dives usually last from 2.0-3.7 minutes, with a maximum duration of 8.9 minutes (Arnould and Hindell 2001). The diurnal frequency of Cape Fur Seal dives shows a bimodal distribution with most dives taking place at dusk or during the first half of the night, with a smaller peak after dawn (Kooyman and Gentry 1986, Stewardson 2001). The maximum recorded diving depth is 204 m (Kooyman and Gentry 1986).

Cape Fur Seals are generalist foragers that take a wide variety of prey, including Cape Hake, Horse Mackerel, Pelagic Goby, Pilchards, Anchovy, squid of the genus Loligo, Rock Lobster, shrimp, prawns and amphipods (David 1987b, de Bruyn et al. 2003, Mecenero et al. 2006). They have also been reported to occasionally take African Penguins and several species of flying seabirds (Makhado et al. 2006). Australian Fur Seals eat a wide range of fish species including Redbait, Leatherjacket species, Jack Mackerel, Barracouta, Red Rock Cod and Flathead (Goldsworthy et al. 2003, Hume et al. 2004, Page et al. 2005, Littnan et al. 2007, Kirkwood et al. 2008, Deagle et al. 2009). Cephalopods are also important prey with key species being Gould’s Squid, Octopus spp., and Cuttlefish (Hume et al. 2004, Page et al. 2005, Kirkwood et al. 2008).

Great White Sharks (Pemberton and Kirkwood 1994, Martin et al. 2005) and Killer Whales (Rice and Saayman 1987) are predators of Afro-Australian Fur Seals at sea. On shore, Cape Fur Seal pups are preyed on by Black-backed Jackals and Brown Hyenas (Skinner et al. 1995, Oosthuizen et al. 1997, Kuhn et al. 2008).

Cape Fur Seals range along the southwestern and southern coasts of Africa, from Ilha dos Tigres in southern Angola, along the coast of Namibia to Algoa Bay in South Africa (Kirkman et al. 2013, Oosthuizen 1991). Sightings of vagrants are limited to one record from Gabon (Thibault 1999) and one from the Prince Edward Islands, South Africa (Kerley 1983). Australian Fur Seals are endemic to southeastern Australian waters and are found from the coasts of Tasmania, New South Wales, Victoria and across to South Australia with the centre of their distribution in Bass Strait (Kirkwood et al. 2010). The ranges of both subspecies are expanding, with the new colonies established in the last decade (Kirkman et al. 2007, Kirkwood et al. 2010, Shaughnessy et al. 2010, Kirkman et al. 2013, McIntosh et al. 2014, Shaughnessy et al. 2014). While both subspecies seldom move beyond the continental shelves, Cape Fur Seals have been recorded up to 220 km offshore (Shaughnessy 1979).