The coastline of Southern Africa is the only place in the world where you can find Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus, or the Cape fur seal, as they are more commonly known. They fight, mate, reproduce and fish in the Cape Cross Seal Reserve, home to the largest breeding colony of these seals on the planet, with at times up to 210,000 seals present during November and December. But it hasn't always been a cacophony of bleats and barks filling the air.

In 1486, the celebrated Portuguese explorer, Diego Câo, erected a padrâo, or stone cross, establishing his country's claim to the territory. Two years into the voyage, and after planting the padrâo at Cape Cross, the crew returned home, but without their captain who had disappeared into thin air or the Atlantic mist. All of the documents relating to his expedition were lost in a fire and the search is still on to find of his whereabouts. Favourite with archaeologists working on the project, is that he may have ventured into what is now Sperrgebiet National Park, as they uncover gold coins and collate other relevant clues along the way. To find out why he went missing and the whereabouts of the final resting place of Diego Câo, is one of histories great mysteries.

In the coming 400 years, many ships were wrecked on this barren Skeleton Coast, but it wasn't until 1884 that the first sightings of the Cape fur seals were recorded off the coast of Southern Africa, in the log book of the German cruise ship, the Möwe. But it was only when guano, the waste left by fish-eating birds used as fertilizer, discovered in 1895, that people settled in Cape Cross. Guano is an Inca word for a mix of eggshell, feathers, decayed corpses and bird excrement. It became so valuable, that it was called 'white gold' and to this day is harvested from platforms off Namibia's coast.

A point of interest driving towards the seal colony on the left of the road, is an unnatural, curved line running between a granite outcrop and the edge of a saltpan. The line is in fact the remains of the first railway track in Namibia, all 21km of it, used to transport guano and seal skins to ships in the bay. For 9 years the guano industry thrived and it was an extremely profitable business, but it came at a cost. Between 1899 and 1901, a total of 92 men – half the workforce – died due to the harsh living conditions.

The edge of a saltpan, mentioned in the previous paragraph, was where ships once brought in provisions, but all that remains of the guano industry today is rusted pieces of metal and a graveyard near the reception office at Cape Cross.

Visitors to the area will notice that 2 crosses have been erected. In 1893 Captain Becker of the German cruiser Falke, found Câo's cross. Realizing its historic value, and in true colonial style, Becker removed and shipped it to back to Germany, where the then Kaiser ordered a granite replica of the padrâo. The replica was erected at Cape Cross in 1895. In 1980 the National Monuments Council placed another replica of the cross on the exact spot on the which the original stood. The decision was taken to honour both Câo's claim to the territory and the discovery of the original cross by Captain Becker.

Near the 2 crosses is a 'seal stone' with an English summary of the Latin and Portuguese texts from the padrâo; an engraving of a caravel and the coats of arms of the national monuments council, a long flat stone with German, Afrikaans and Portuguese inscriptions and Câo's coat of arms engraved on an oval stone.

Visitors can view the seals from a 200m walkway, constructed of recycled plastic suitable for wheelchairs. Other facilities include information points, toilets, a picnic spot, (if you can handle the smell with your baguette) and a reception. Permits are available on site and drivers please note that there is no petrol and very limited water.

In mid-October bulls come ashore to establish breeding colonies, defended by heroic chest-to-chest combat, pushing, biting and waiting for pregnant, adult females to arrive on the scene. Not to be outdone, the females fight for a place within a territory, and eventually a male may lose half his body weight establishing his 'patch.' But the rewards are well worth the effort in the annual forced slimathon; control of your own territory and a harem of between 7 – 66 females!

As in all walks of life, it is the females who get the rough end of the stick when it comes to giving birth and rearing their off-springs. Females breed in synchrony once a year and after an 8 month gestation period, give birth to 1 pup in late November/early December. In an amazing 34 day cycle, 90% of pups are born at Cape Cross and they weigh between 4.5 – 6.4kg and are 60 -70 cm in length, similar in size to human babies, (but with no umbilical cords to cut or bottoms to smack!)

Pups suckle soon after birth, establishing a strong bond between mother and pup, essential if mother is to find their young in the midst of tens of thousands of bleating pups. Sound and scent play an important role in mother-infant recognition, and in the first few months after being born, life is perilous to say the least. The infant mortality rate is 30%, with jackals and brown hyenas amongst the principal predators. At only 8 months, it's time for mother and pup to take to water to fish, sometimes staying out to sea for 4 or 5 days. Pups continue to nurse from their mothers for a year, and at the age of 3, females are ready to mate. It's definitely a man's world at the Cape Cross Seal Reserve!

One of the most endearing features of Cape fur seals is their ears; they have external ears, as opposed to true seals, who don't. (Wow!) It is also 1 of 3 species of fur seals that occurs off the coast of Southern Africa, but they do not migrate, although they have been known to travel 1,600km in 20 months. (Adventurous) They have also been found 200km from shore. (Lost!)

Not surprisingly, an adult Cape fur seal has a healthy appetite and eats about 270kg of food a year. Favourites on the seal menu are Cape horse mackerel, Cape hake, lantern fish and pelagic goby. But the hunter is also the hunted and at sea, sharks and killer whales prey on Cape fur seals. If they make it safely to the shore, the danger continues in the form of black-backed jackals and brown hyenas, not just content on feeding on pups.

One thing no seal or human can escape from is the unpleasant odour at Cape Cross. A combination of dead seals and excrement really chuck it up, and the strong winds stir the smells of the sea with those on land, delivering them straight to your nostrils!

The only accommodation available near Cape Cross is the Cape Cross Lodge, most people choose to stay at accommodation in Swakopmund or Henties Bay and and make Cape Cross a day trip. Cape Cross is open from 10am until 5pm daily.