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Seven Surprises About Sea Lions

Cure California sea lion on a red buoy

Sea lions are among the most easily recognizable marine mammals, frequenting docks, buoys, and beaches worldwide. Their intelligence, athleticism, and endearing nature make them an easy fan favorite, and they offer endless fascination and fun. Known for their playful nature and loud barks, these fun, flippered friends have drawn the attention of young and old alike. But there are some surprising sea lion facts that many people don’t know.

1. There are different kinds of sea lions.

There are currently 6 species of sea lions:

  1. Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea)
  2. Galapagos sea lion (Zalophus wollebaeki)
  3. New Zealand sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri)
  4. Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus)
  5. South American sea lion (Otaria byronia)
  6. Californian sea lion (Zalophus californianus)

A group of California sea lions on a red buoy near Dana Point

The Australian sea lion, the Galapagos sea lion, and the New Zealand sea lion are all unfortunately classed as “endangered” by the IUCN. There used to be a lucky total of seven sea lion species, but the Japanese sea lion is listed as “extinct,” and hasn’t officially been sighted since the late 1950s. Although found in many interesting locations, sea lions don’t dwell in polar regions currently. In terms of sea lion facts, the California Sea Lion is the most widely recognized due to its appearances in shows, movies, and television. The US Navy even has sea lions trained in reconnaissance and recovery tasks! The California Sea Lion, the species we see here in Dana Point, is said to be the most intelligent sea lion.

 

2. Sea lions are not seals!

The very extroverted sea lions have introverted and shy cousins – seals! Pinnipeds are broken down into two categories- the eared and not-eared variety. Besides this difference in visible ears, pinnipeds can also be differentiated by their silhouettes, vocalizations, social behavior, and movement on land.

A harbor seal, and behind it to the right, a California sea lion, are lounging on the rocks at Dana Point Harbor

Sea lions are generally sleeker, with uniformly colored fur. Did you know these sea lion facts? Males are slightly darker than females, but their coats tend to stay a single shade of brown ranging from dark chocolate to golden brown. Seals tend to have more mottled, rocky-looking patterns in various colors.

If you see them on the shore, you’ll easily notice sea lions have long foreflippers and often sit up, away from the ground. They look more slender and are generally bigger than seals, who move in a very bouncy, belly-first type scooting maneuver. It’s pretty cute. Sea lions, on the other hand, can rotate their hind flippers to essentially walk on land. Unlike seals, sea lions can be quite agile on land, which is just another reason not to underestimate them!

Another way to know if you’ve seen a sea lion instead of a seal is the amount of noise. One of the most entertaining sea lion facts is that they communicate primarily by vocalization. Seals are pretty quiet, but you’ll most likely hear sea lions long before you ever see them. They have loud barks, grunts, and growls and aren’t afraid to use those vocals. If you’ve ever heard a sea lion yelling, you’re not likely to forget it. Even though they communicate in a loud way, they’re very social and often love to spend time with other sea lions. We find cuddle puddles of sea lions on the buoys we pass on our dolphin and whale watching trips regularly, and often, there are as many sea lions that can fit, all hauled out and piled on top of each other.

Sea lions are very gregarious, social, and physical pinnipeds. Seals, however, even within groups, tend to stay in a personal space bubble unless they have a pup. We see a lot more sea lions than seals here in Dana Point, but perhaps you’ll get lucky and join us on a day when we see both! One of the top five reasons to go whale watching is to be able to connect with nature such as these amazing pinnipeds!

A group of California sea lions on a red buoy near Dana Point

 

3. Sea lions age like humans.

Perhaps one of the more surprising sea lion facts is that these playful pinnipeds age in ways similar to humans. Although they don’t live nearly as long as humans do, depending on the species, sea lions can reach upwards of 20 years old in the wild. Just as it happens for humans, sea lions become vulnerable to several health issues as they grow older. Sea lions may not visibly have the use of canes or big woolen sweaters for them to stand out from the younger crowd, but they still can be afflicted by age-related conditions like poor vision, dental issues, cancer, pneumonia, skin problems, arthritis, age-related epilepsy, and other neurologic problems. Unfortunately, these conditions often make a sea lion vulnerable to starvation or predation. It’s certainly not an easy life for Grandpa Sea Lion once he gets up there in age!

 

4. Sea lion pups don’t have to share their mom’s attention.

Typically sea lions give birth to a single pup, although on very rare occasions there can be two. This means sea lions don’t have to split their attention between multiple babies and can instead focus their attention on raising one pup. For California sea lions, it takes 12 months for a pup to be born, but it’s fascinating what leads up to this occurring. California sea lion facts of life include 3 months of delayed implantation, which allows a female’s fertilized egg to pause development, so it will be born when she returns to the breeding grounds, called a rookery.

When her pups are born the mother sea lion will be able to look into their eyes immediately, as pups are born with their eyes open. Young sea lions are dark brown at birth, but around 4-5 months they’ll shed their dark coat for a lighter one. These wide-eyed newborns will nurse with mom for a couple days, and then stay put while the sea lion mothers go to sea to hunt for 2-5 days. If you see a baby sea lion alone, worry not. It’s probably just waiting for Mom to return and is likely fine. If it is behaving oddly or looks injured, you can always contact the local marine mammal rehab center. Most likely though, the sea lion pup will continue this cycle of nursing and fishing breaks with its mother until it’s weaned around a year or two old. Sea lion pups will have their mom all to themself until it’s time to move on to their own adventure.

A California sea lion swimming in the ocean near Dana Point

 

5. Sea lions are carnivores.

Although sometimes referred to as sea dogs because of their loud barking, unlike actual dogs, who are omnivores, sea lions are exclusively carnivores. These sea lion facts clue us into what they share in common with the ocean-dwelling marine mammal buddies who eat many of the same items that appear on the sea lion menu. Sea lions tend to dine offshore in coastal areas and luckily for them,  sea lions have taste receptors that allow them to enjoy a variety of flavors including salty, bitter, sour, and umami which equates to a meaty, savory, or brothy kind of taste.

A California Sea Lion eating an octopus off the coast of Dana Point

As carnivores, sea lions have a wide range of favorite foods, but it often includes squid, anchovies, mackerel, rockfish, crabs, clams, and sardines. Because of the ocean upwelling off the coast of Southern California, Dana Point waters are a bountiful smorgasbord for many marine mammals, but especially so for California sea lions. Seeing so many animals of all kinds come into the area to enjoy the feast of the sea is part of what makes Dana Point the Dolphin and Whale Watching Capital of the World®. The sea lion facts of their snacks are that they’re often shared with much larger marine mammals, and we’ve seen whales right alongside sea lions and shorebirds having a meal. It’s always amazing to see what kind of life will be out on the ocean with us and it’s a fun surprise to see sea lions pop up in the waves as well.

 

6. Sea lions have excellent senses made for underwater diving.

How do sea lions find their food, you may wonder? Sea lion senses, especially those belonging to their ears, eyes, and sense of touch, have special adaptations for delving into the ocean depths. They have excellent vision both in and out of the water. It can be a little hard to see in the ocean, but the tapetum lucidum, a reflective membrane at the back of the eye, acts as a mirror, bouncing light back through the eye to give them a boost to help them see underwater and in low light conditions. Your pet cat, as well as dolphins, have this adaptation to allow for better sight when there’s less light!

A California sea lion jumps out of the ocean near Dana Point, California

Where their extra eye adaptation can’t reach, sea lions can find their way around with the help of their sensitive whiskers. Each long whisker called a vibrissa is loosely attached to the sea lion’s upper lip. These whiskers are one of the super sea lion facts of adaptation, and amazingly, each whisker is attached to sensitive nerves and can also rotate around letting the sea lion “feel” any food swimming nearby through the water itself. Sea lions also rely on excellent senses of hearing and smell. Sea lions can’t smell underwater, but on land, they use their great sense of smell to recognize pups and find mates for breeding. They have earflaps that can turn with the opening downward, so water does not enter their ears while swimming and diving. Sea lions are well adapted for life on land and sea, and when we catch glimpses of them, it’s fun to know they can see, hear, and smell us.

 

 

7. Sea lions still face many threats.

We consider ourselves extraordinarily lucky to be able to witness wildlife in their natural environment here in Dana Point. We love seeing sea lions rafting, hauling out, or just in general being their wonderful wild selves. Before the Marine Mammal Protection Act was passed in 1972, sea lions were hunted for their meat, skin, and oil. We’re glad to know the protection extended to all marine mammals and the California sea lion is a protected species under that act. There are no longer threats in the form of being hunted by humans, but unfortunately, there are still other threats to sea lion life that have yet to be resolved.

Two huge problems facing sea lions today are entanglement/fishing gear and domoic acid poisoning. A neurotoxin called domoic acid is produced by algae during algae blooms called red tides. As beautiful as seeing bioluminescence can be, the algae that causes it is often a problem for wildlife. Fish eat the algae, and sea lions and other marine predators eat the fish. High levels of domoic acid can lead to lethargy, seizures, and death. Pollution may have a significant role in more of these toxic algae blooms occurring, so it remains important to keep pollution and trash out of the ocean and to recycle plastic. Some sad sea lion facts lead us to realize there is a correlation between NOT recycling and the emergence of excess domoic acid in marine mammals, a documented connection between wildlife and pollution.

If you’re looking for sea lions, among other marine mammals like dolphins, keeping a clean ocean is the number one plan of action. Luckily, Captain Dave’s prides itself on being an eco-safe tour operator, and we prioritize the safety of wildlife above all. As a dedicated eco-friendly Dana Point whale watching tour group in Southern California, we are dedicated to providing only sustainable wildlife viewing. We believe in being good stewards of the ocean. That means using the best sustainable technology available and not watching wildlife from a fishing boat.

 

If you are interested in having a private trip spotting sea lions, spending a day out on the water with Captain Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari on a private safari is not only the best way to get outside and enjoy the open air, but it is also the opportunity to be able to see wildlife with just your family, friends, or co-workers and make long-lasting lifetime memories without the pressure of meeting new people. It can also be fun to see some new faces, and we love seeing guests return as well as greeting visitors from all over the world on our public trips.

A California sea lion jumps out of the ocean with a blue whale tail behind it

If luck is with you, your day will be nothing short of spectacular! We’re sure you’ll have an amazing adventure no matter what you see. Whichever way you decide to join us, you’re sure to enjoy all the perks of seeing marine mammals in Dana Point. Our highly regarded captains and crew always make sure their experience at sea and extensive knowledge of marine life comes with friendliness and excitement. Whether sea lions or sunfish, whatever it is you end up seeing, you’ll know we all share a genuine passion for the sea and the life within it.

Until Next Time,

Jenn Ortiz

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