SEA LIOTN
FA C T S H E E
SEA LIONS: JUST THE FACTS
• Sea lions, seals and walruses are all pinnipeds.
• California sea lions are found from southern British Columbia to western Mexico.
• California sea lions live along rocky and sandy beaches. The male can reach up to 8 feet and weigh up to 880
pounds, while a female can reach 6.5 feet and weigh just 240 pounds.
• A sea lion uses its foreflippers like wings to swim in the water, but they’re really forearms that have been
modified for swimming.
• One way to easily tell sea lions apart from true seals is that sea lions have external ear flaps.
• Unlike true seals, sea lions can tuck their hind flippers underneath their body and use all four flippers to “walk”
on land.
• Sea lions like to lie near or even on each other. In the water, they can form a “raft,” floating on the surface
and very close to each other.
• They can sleep in a variety of positions, including balanced upright, with their heads thrown back and their
nose pointed upward.
• To regulate its body temperature, a sea lion will raise its flipper, causing the blood vessels just under the skin
to absorb or release heat.
• Sea lions are one of the most vocal mammals. They bark, growl and grunt.
SEA LION MOM AND BABIES
• During mating season, rather than risk leaving—and losing—their territories and possible mating
opportunities, an adult male will fast for weeks.
• A female sea lion is pregnant for 11 to 11 ½ months. She delivers one pup, usually in June and on land.
• As soon as her pup is born, the mom starts vocalizing and the pup replies. They continue this back and
forth for 20 minutes, establishing the mom/pup bond.
• Within 30 minutes of birth, a sea lion pup can shake, groom, scratch, walk and even swim, although not
very well.
• Pups often play fight by biting, wrestling and chasing each other in groups.
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SEA LIOTN
FA C T S H E E
SEA LIONS AND SURVIVAL
• There are nearly 300,000 California sea lions.
• Predators are not a major threat. Killer whales and large sharks
occasionally prey on sea lions, but not enough to deplete the
population.
• California sea lions are vulnerable to bacterial and viral infections.
• Warmer than normal waters from El Niño Southern Oscillations can
lead to a shift in fish populations. This can make it harder for
mothers or newly weaned pups to find enough food and cause a
decline in survival rates.
• During some red tides, harmful phytoplankton (tiny drifting
plants) can bloom. One type of harmful phytoplankton produces a
biotoxin called domoic acid. Domoic acid becomes more harmful as
it travels up the food chain. Eating fish and other animals that
have domoic acid in their tissues can cause seizures and other
neurological problems and even death for California sea lions.
HUMANS AND SEA LIONS
HUNTING
• In the past, California sea lions were hunted for food and to reduce their populations to help out
fisheries. Today, California sea lions continue to be hunted, mostly by fishermen competing for fish.
POLLUTION
• Marine debris is one of the largest threats to sea lions. They can get caught in nylon fishing nets or
plastic packaging (including plastic packing straps) and can drown; they can also accidentally eat plastic
debris which blocks their digestive track.
CONSERVATION EFFORTS
• The U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) makes it illegal
to hunt or harass any marine mammal in U.S. waters.
• SeaWorld® San Diego is part of the Marine Mammal Stranding
Network and rescues, treats and, whenever possible, has returned
to the wild thousands of injured, ill or orphaned California
sea lions.
• Zoological parks, including SeaWorld, help educate the public
about sea lions and the importance of protecting them and
their habitats.
• The SeaWorld® & Busch Gardens® Conservation Fund has granted
more than $10 million to hundreds of conservation projects that
help animals in need and endangered species around the world.
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