Sea Lion
The sea lion is sociable and lives in colonies that may number in
the thousands, especially during the mating season.
the sea lion divides its time between resting on shore
and hunting for food in the ocean. Despite its heavy,
awkward-lokking body, the sea lion can move quickly on land with the
use of its flippers. When entering the water, the sea lion dives in head-first, often in a group
of 20 to 30 animals. It seems to be able to gauge the depth
of the water and to dive accordingly. Underwater, the sea lion's ears and nostrils close,
and it is capable of remaining in the water for many minutes before surfacing to breathe.
In the early 19th century, large number of sea lions were killed along the coast of California. The blubber
of the dead animals was used as a source of oil, and the skins were used
for making glue. Today, California sea lions are regarded for their intelligence, and are well known for the playful behavior they display in captivity.
Sea lions are bery popular attractions in zoos, circuses, and marine parks.
Sea lions breed from May to August. The breeding grounds, called rockeries,
are situated on beaches and offshore islets. Soon after the young are born, mature bulls compete to establish
territories. They use threatening gestures, but fight only as a last resort.
A harem of females and young is established by each mature bull.
During mating, the bull has no time to feed and must survive on his
reserve of blubber. About three weeks after her pup is born, the sea lion cow is
ready to mate again. But she continues to suckle her young pup for about six months.
The California sea lion has a remarkably large appetite. An average-sized sea lion must consume about 14 percent of its body weight in food every day.
The sea lion hunts by chasing its prey through the water or diving down to the ocean's bottom and searching among the rocks
with its muzzle. It feeds mainly on octopus, squid, and fish. Sea lions have excellent underwater vision, and hunt their prey mostly by sight. The
well-developed muscles on its muzzle may also help it to locate prey by picking up
vibrations in the water.
It lives on the west coast of North America, from British Columbia south to Baja California, and the Sea of Cortez. Separate subspecies live in the Galapagos Islands. It is formerly hunted, and although populations are now protected and stable. Breeding colonies total about 50,000 with a futher 40,000 in the Galapagos.
We got our information from the "Wildlife Fact File".
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