On Africa's southwestern coast, the hollow hulks of wrecked ships lie shattered on rock-strewn shores. To ancient mariners, these dark monuments to maritime disaster helped give this rugged swath of shore its name: The Skeleton Coast.

But there is abundant life among the ruins. Each year, hundreds of thousands of South African fur seals splash ashore in Namibia and South Africa to mate and give birth to sleek, playful pups. This week, NATURE's GOLDEN SEALS OF THE SKELETON COAST follows one of these youngsters on its 10-year adventure into adulthood.

Along the way, the young seal confronts a host of threats, from hungry sharks and jackals to human hunters bent on claiming its luxuriant pelt. But it also learns important survival skills, including how to steal fish from a trawler's billowing net, snack on unsuspecting seabirds, and avoid toxic "red tides."

Known to scientists as Arctocephalus pusillus, an estimated two million fur seals live along the coasts of Namibia and South Africa. Technically, they are not true seals, which have no external ear flaps. Instead, they are "eared seals," closely related to sea lions.

Fur seals start their lives in large breeding colonies on small, rocky islands or inshore beaches. Adult males arrive at the sites in early fall, with the biggest males typically claiming the best territories. The females follow soon after, with each of the winning males building a harem of up to 30 females, some of which have recently given birth to a pup.

The pups are known for their thick, dark fur, but older animals have lighter pelts, hence the nickname "golden seals." Since the pup can't swim, the mom must leave it alone every few days so she can head to sea and stock up on fish, squid, and crabs that will allow her to keep producing milk. She'll nurse the pup for up to 10 months before it can hunt on its own.

As GOLDEN SEALS shows, however, some of the pups don't survive their time at home alone. Hungry jackals roam the colony, looking for unattended pups not yet strong enough to escape. The wild dogs choke and then drag away the vulnerable young seals. Other times, starvation strikes. In 1994, for instance, an estimated 200,000 seals starved along the Namibian coast after climate and current shifts depleted fish stocks.

Others are killed by human hunters. In the 1890s, uncontrolled hunting reduced the population to less than 100,000 animals. Since the early 1900s, researchers estimate that more controlled hunts have killed more than 3 million seals -- but still allowed the population to rebound.

South Africa banned seal hunting in 1990. However, Namibia last year allowed hunters to kill 67,000. Government officials say the hunt is necessary to prevent the seals from competing with fishermen for anchovies and other economically important fish. But critics say the 60,000 seal pups were clubbed to death for their fur, while the 7,000 adult males were killed for their sex organs, which are sold in Asia as aphrodisiacs. Seal oil is also a valuable commodity.

Young seals that survive the hunt face other threats. The mammals are a favorite food for sharks and killer whales, for instance. But the seals are also fierce predators themselves, slashing through schools of fish for a meal, or diving down 600 feet deep to chase squid. Sometimes, they even learn to ambush swimming birds from below, pulling them beneath the waves.

Fueled by such fare, the seals can grow quickly and live up to 25 years. Females can reach 5 feet long and weigh 225 pounds. The males can be far more massive. A 10-year old bull male, for instance, may reach 7 feet and 750 pounds.

As GOLDEN SEALS shows, however, the reign of a seal king is short. Most do not win breeding rights until they are 8 to 12 years old. Then, they are able to fend off rivals for just a few years before younger, bigger males take their place. During the few brief weeks of breeding season, however, the seal may father dozens of pups -- one of which may one day inherit its father's wet, sandy throne along Africa's rugged Skeleton Coast.