Sea Lions

Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, short and thick hair, and a big chest and belly. Together with the fur seals, they make up the family Otariidae, eared seals. The sea lions have six extant and one extinct species in five genera. Their range extends from the subarctic to tropical waters of the global ocean in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, with the notable exception of the northern Atlantic Ocean. They have an average lifespan of 20–30 years. A male California sea lion weighs on average about 300 kg and is about 2.4 m long, while the female sea lion weighs 100 kg and is 1.8 m long. The largest sea lions are Steller's sea lions, which can weigh 1,000 kg and grow to a length of 3.0 m. Sea lions consume large quantities of food at a time and are known to eat about 5–8% of their body weight at a single feeding.

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Sea Lions With Cameras Are Mapping Australian Ocean Floor

Is a Harmful Algae Killing Hundreds of Sea Lions in California?

California sea lions have been able to maintain, and in the case of males, increase, their average body size as their population grows and competition for food intensifies.

Male California sea lions are becoming bigger and better fighters as their population rebounds

In Peru, mass death of sea lions from avian influenza suggests virus could be spreading between mammals in the wild — A(H5N1) may have mutated in a way previously unseen in nature

Researchers ‘cannot rule out’ bird flu spreading between sea lions

Sea Lions' Whiskers Help Them Touch The World Around Them, Just Like Our Fingertips