![]() ![]() When hauled out they rest close to and often on top of each other. BehaviorĬalifornia sea lions are social animals. Pups are weaned abruptly and abandoned by their mothers usually when six months old. Younger pups congregate in large groups to play and socialize. An older pup may accompany its mother on some foraging trips. They spend a day on shore after each foraging period nursing the pup. Returning to shore, they quickly find their pup by smell and vocalization. Delayed implantation of the fertilized egg in the mother’s uterus ensures that her pup will be born at the breeding ground when colonies form again a year later.įemales stay with their pups for the first seven to ten days and then begin to forage at sea for one to three days at a time. Males compete to mate with the females and defend their territory with ritualized physical displays including vocalized threats, aggressive posturing, and occasionally physical combat. Within about three weeks after giving birth, females are ready to breed again. The pups weigh 6-9 kg (13-20 lb) at birth. Shortly after arrival, from late May through July, the pregnant females give birth to pups conceived in the past year’s breeding season about 12 months ago. Males arrive at breeding grounds before females and set up territories that will eventually include three to forty females.īirthing of sea lions takes place on land. These sea lions congregate in huge colonies in breeding and birthing areas-the Channel Islands off the coast of central California, islands along the northern Pacific coast of Baja California including Guadalupe Island islands along the east coast of Baja California and on beaches in the mid and southern Gulf of California. Reproductionįemales are mature at three years of age and males at five. They compete with commercial and sport fishermen, stealing hooked prey, catch from nets, and salmon migrating to spawning areas. These pinnipeds are opportunistic feeders usually seeking prey in cool, upwelling waters near the coast, around seamounts, along the continental shelf, and occasionally on the sea bottom, Mackerel, market squid, anchovy, rockfish, and salmon are favorite food items. ![]() Females are markedly smaller reaching a maximum length of 2 m (6 ft 7 in) and a weight of 110 kg (240 lb). SizeĪdult male sea lions may reach a length of 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) and a weight of 390 kg (860 lb). At approximately four to five months of age, pups molt to a light gray pelage, darkening to a dark chocolate that fades to light tan. Pups are dark brown to black when born, fading to light brown within a few weeks. Adult males seem to molt in January and February, with females and juveniles molting from early autumn through the winter. Adult females and juveniles are tan or blond except for a short period after molting when they are light gray to silver-gray. However, a small number do remain light yellow to blond their entire lifetime. ![]() Most males do not fade to a lighter color after molting. Unlike other sea lions, California sea lions do not have a lion-like mane.Īdult males are mainly a dark chocolate-brown color, except for light tan areas on the face. The crest is topped by a light colored hair tuft. Mature males have a prominent protruding forehead with a large bump of bone called the sagittal crest. Their hind flippers, used as rudders for steering, are much shorter and have fleshy tips and short narrow claws at the end of the digits. Long paddle-like fore flippers that end in tiny claws with hair on the upper surface extending past the wrist are used for propulsion through the water. These sea lions have a long, straight, and narrow snout and distinct, small, external ears. The adult male’s body is robust at the neck, shoulders, and chest with a rather slender hind end, while females and juveniles are slender-bodied and more streamlined. They remain close to the water’s edge of beaches during warm weather, moving inland or up coastal slopes during cool weather or at night. They haul out on quiet sandy beaches, offshore rocks, and on man-made structures such as piers, boats, breakwaters, and buoys. Sea lions inhabit temperate or subtropical waters. Geographic DistributionĮastern north Pacific from Vancouver Island, British Columbia south to Baja California, Mexico including the Gulf of California. Our sea lions are on view in the Seals and Sea Lions Habitat. CONSERVATION STATUS: Species or Population DependentĬLIMATE CHANGE: Not Applicable At the Aquarium ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |