Animal · United States, Mexico, Canada
California sea lion
Zalophus californianus — the name this animal has in the language scientists everywhere share.
The California sea lion is the fast, barking seal of the Pacific coast, easy to know by the small ear flaps on the side of its head. Males grow about three times heavier than females and hold a stretch of beach all summer.
Picture credit: Rhododendrites (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Rhododendrites (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where does the California sea lion live?
Home: Rocky coasts, islands and harbours of the Pacific.
In the wild it lives in these countries: the United States, Mexico, Canada.
Conservation status from the IUCN: not in danger.
The short profile
Fully grown: males up to 2.7 m long, females about 2.1 m. It weighs about 220 kilograms. On the menu: meat.
The story behind it
Sea lions are built for two worlds. In the water, long front flippers row like wings and carry them down to about 80 metres on an ordinary dive, and on rare deep dives to nearly 275 metres for close to ten minutes. On land they turn their back flippers forward and walk on all fours, which true seals cannot do. Their food is fish and squid: anchovy, hake, herring, rockfish and octopus. Between May and August thousands gather on rocky beaches and islands, and the males bark almost without stopping to keep their patch of shore. A mother finds her own pup by its voice among hundreds of calls. Sea lions learn quickly, which is why the ones in aquarium shows pick up tricks so easily.
Find it on the globe
California sea lion is there as a tiny animated figure that breathes and looks around. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.
It sits at its real coordinates, not near them — the same numbers listed in the facts above. Switch off the layer for this kind of place and it disappears again; the buttons for that are down the right-hand edge.
Questions children ask
What is the difference between a sea lion and a seal?
A sea lion has small ear flaps and can turn its back flippers forward to walk on land. A true seal has only ear holes and has to shuffle along on its belly.
How deep can a California sea lion dive?
Most dives go to about 80 metres and last under three minutes. The deepest measured dives reach nearly 275 metres and can last close to ten minutes.
Why do sea lions bark so much?
In the breeding season a male barks to tell other males that a piece of beach is taken. Mothers and pups also call to each other, and each pair knows its own voice in the crowd.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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