All About Sea Lions

Sea Lions

Sea lions are very social and super talented.

They are true party animals, both on land and in the water.

They can balance a ball on their nose, climb up a ladder, honk a horn and swim up to 13 mph.

Kingdom – Animalia

Phylum – Chordata

Class – Mammalia

Order – Carnivora

Family – Otariidae

Genus – Zalophus

• External ears with flaps and big eyes.

• Long flippers in the front which are like wings with no claws.

• Five digits in the back limbs with extensions of cartilage.

• Nails are on the middle three digits.

• A sea lion can walk on all fours.

• In the water, rear flippers are used to steer.

• Small head with whiskers on the face.

• Large body with blubber to stay warm.

• Small, flat tail between the rear flippers.

• They live both on land and in the water.

• Prefer rocky and sandy beaches of shorelines and coastal islands.

• Like to visit sandbars, quiet coves, protected tide pools and coastal access jetties or piers.

• Breed on islands off the coasts of Baja California and California.

• During months of nonbreeding, California males migrate to Puget Sound, Washington and British Columbia.

• Males from Baja California migrate to the Channel Islands.

• Most females will stay close to their breeding grounds and only move south during the months of nonbreeding.

• Sea lions are predators and get all their food from the ocean.

• They mostly eat squid and octopus or small fish such as anchovy or herring.

• They eat around 6% of their body weight.

• They do not really chew their food but tear it into chunks or even swallow it whole.

• They generally get the water they need from their food and do not actually need to drink water.

• During the breeding season, adult males do not eat while defending their territory.

• Mal...

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...ot have a mane at all.

California sea lion

* Known for their playfulness and intelligence.

* Can be well trained to balance a ball on its nose, swim through hoops, clap and walk.

Steller sea lion

* The largest of all sea lion species and very vocal.

* Males can grow to be 3 times as large as females. Australian sea lion

* These are the rarest species of sea lion.

* They do not migrate.

Current Population

* 240,000 for the US.

* 85,000 for the Western Baja California.

* 31,000 for the Gulf of California.

Environmental Concerns

* The most common reasons California sea lions are rescued include: malnutrition, cancer, pneumonia, entanglement in debris or fishing gear, gunshots, and other wounds.

Make a donation, volunteer at the recue, keep the beach clean, educate and fund raise.