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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
California
sea lion, Galapagos sea lion |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Pinnipedia |
| FAMILY: |
Otariidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Zalophus
(lophus translates into crest) californianus |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Like
other "eared" seals, California sea lions
have prominent external ear flaps and long foreflippers
covered in fur past the wrist and tiny claws. The
hind flippers are shorter and also have short claws
at the ends of the digits. |
| MALE |
Adult
male California sea lions have a prominent sagittal
(cranial) crest, making them easy to distinguish
from females and immature males. Mature males also
tend to be a much darker brown color and are substantially
larger than adult females. Unlike many other species
of sea lion, California sea lion males lack a well-defined
mane. |
| FEMALE |
Mature
females and immature males are light yellowish to
tan in color and lack the prominent sagittal crest
of the adult male. |
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| SIZE: |
Newborns
are about 75 cm (30 in.) long |
| MALE |
Up
to 2-2.5 m (6.5-8 ft.) long |
| FEMALE |
Up
to1.5-2 m (5-6.6 ft.) long |
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| WEIGHT: |
At
birth, sea lion pups weigh about 6 kg (13 lb.) |
| MALE |
200-400
kg (441-882 lb.) |
| FEMALE |
50-110
kg (110-243 lb.) |
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| DIET: |
Fishes,
squid and octopus |
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| GESTATION: |
Gestational
period 11 months; possibly up to 3 months of delayed
implantation |
| ESTRAL
PERIOD |
About
3 weeks after giving birth in June and July |
| NURSING
DURATION |
6
months to a year (wean) |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
4-5
years for both males and females |
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| RANGE: |
British
Columbia to northern Mexico |
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| HABITAT: |
Inhabit
rocky and sandy beaches of coastal islands and mainland
shorelines along the coasts |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
About
200,000 for the California subspecies; the Japanese
subspecies is considered extinct |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
Sea
lions are adapted for movement on land as well as
in the water. Wing-like front flippers have a bone
structure similar to that in our arms and hands.
Swimming with these flippers propels the sea lion
forward, while the hind flippers steer. Both pairs
of flippers enable a sea lion to walk on land. |
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| 2. |
Sea lions produce loud roars help explain why they're
named after lions. Males of some sea lion species
even grow thick manes around their necks. |
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| 3. |
Most sea lion pups are born in late June. Pups are
well developed at birth. Their eyes are open, they
can vocalize, and even swim a little. Several days
after the pup's birth, the mother leaves the pup
in the crowded rookery as she searches for food
in the ocean. When she returns, the mother emits
a loud trumpeting vocalization, which elicits a
bleating response from her pup. This exchange continues
until the mother and pup find each other. She makes
her final identification by smelling her pup. |
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| 4. |
California
sea lions are among the most gregarious marine mammals,
forming dense aggregations of a thousand or more
animals on land. They also may travel, socialize
or rest at the surface in groups of ten or more
near haul out areas. |
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| 5. |
For
more information about California sea lions, explore
the California
sea lion info book. |
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| As
for other marine mammals, the U.S. Marine Mammal
Protection Act of 1972 protects California sea lions. |
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| |
|
|
|
Byrum,
J. Pinnipeds From Pole to Pole: Seals, Sea
Lions and Walruses. SeaWorld Education Department
Publication. San Diego. SeaWorld, Inc. 2000.
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| |
|
Jefferson, T.J. Leatherwood, S. and M.A. Webber.
FAO Species Identification Guide. Marine Mammals
of the World. Rome. FAO, 1993. |
| |
|
Nowak, Ronald M. (ed.). Walker's Mammals of
the World. Vol. II. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins
University Press, 1991.
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| Parker,
S. (ed.). Grizmek's Encyclopedia of Mammals.
Vol. IV. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co.,
1990. |
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| Reeves,
R. R., Stewart, B.S., Clapman, P.J., and J.A. Powell
(Peter Folkens illustrator). National Audubon
Society: Guide to Marine Mammals of the World.
New York: Random House, 2002. |
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| Reeves,
R.R., Stewart, B.S. and S. Stephen. The Sierra
Club Handbook of Seals and Sirenians. San Francisco:
Sierra Club Books, 1992. |
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| Riedman,
M. The Pinnipeds: Seals, Sea Lions and Walruses.
Berkeley and Los Angeles. University of California
Press. 1990. |
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| http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu |
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