sea lion

sea lion, any of six species of eared seals found primarily in Pacific waters. Sea lions are characterized by a coat of short coarse hair that lacks a distinct undercoat. Except for the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus), males have lion-like manes and constantly roar to defend their harems (hence their name).

Unlike the true, or earless, seals (family Phocidae), sea lions and other eared seals (family Otariidae) are able to rotate their hind flippers forward to use all four limbs when moving about on land. Sea lions also have longer flippers than true seals. Sea lions feed principally on fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods (squid and octopus), but they also will consume penguins. Breeding occurs in large herds, the males establishing harems of 3 to 20 females. Brown pups are born after a gestation period of 12 months. Sea lions are hunted, though not on a large scale, for their meat, hides, and blubber.

The California sea lion, found along the western coast of North America from the Gulf of Alaska to Costa Rica, is the trained seal commonly seen in animal acts and zoos. Large-eyed and playful, it is pale to dark brown but appears black when wet. The male reaches a maximum length of about 2.5 metres (8 feet) and a weight of 400 kg (880 pounds), and the female grows to about 1.8 metres and 90 kg. In captivity it can live more than 30 years (less in the wild). The California sea lion is mostly a coastal animal that frequently leaps from the water when swimming. A fast swimmer and excellent diver, it forages underwater for an average of three minutes at a time, but dives can last up to nine minutes. The maximum recorded dive depth is 274 metres (900 feet). California sea lions commonly gather on man-made structures.

The California sea lion shares the genus Zalophus with the Galapagos sea lion (Z. wollebaeki). Both species are similar in appearance, the Galapagos sea lion being the smaller of the two. Adult males weigh as much as 250 kg (550 pounds), and adult females weigh between 50 and 100 kg (110 and 220 pounds). Although most of the Galapagos sea lion population is concentrated in the waters surrounding the Galapagos archipelago, some individuals have established a semipermanent colony at Isla de la Plata near the coast of Ecuador.

The northern, or Steller, sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) is a pale- to golden-brown sea lion of the Bering Sea and both sides of the North Pacific Ocean. It is the largest member of the eared seals. Males are about 3.3 metres in length and weigh 1,000 kg, while females measure about 2.5 metres and weigh less than 300 kg. Northern sea lions eat fish, octopus, and squid, as well as bivalves, other mollusks, and crustaceans. Because of their massive size and aggressive nature, they are rarely kept in captivity.

The southern, or South American, sea lion (Otaria byronia) is generally brown with a yellowish orange belly. It swims in coastal waters from northern Peru southward to Tierra del Fuego and even around the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. The male is about 2.5 metres in length and weighs 200–350 kg, and the female is about 1.8 metres long and 140 kg. South American sea lions eat mostly fish, squid, and crustaceans but occasionally kill and eat other seals.

The Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) is found along the southern coast of Western Australia into South Australia. Adult males are 2.0–2.5 metres in length and weigh 300 kg, whereas females measure 1.5 metres long and weigh less than 100 kg.

The New Zealand, or Hooker’s, sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri) inhabits only New Zealand. Males are 2.0–2.5 metres in length, females 1.5–2.0 metres. Their weight is slightly less than that of Australian sea lions.

The five genera of sea lions, together with fur seals (genus Arctocephalus) and northern fur seals (Callorhinus), constitute the family Otariidae (eared seals). All seals and sea lions, along with the walrus, are grouped together as pinnipeds.