California Sea Lion: King Of The CoastLine

California sea lion is one of the six species of the sea lion, known for their intelligence and playfulness. They live in the coastal waters and on beaches, buoys, seaside rocks, jetties and docks. Usually make bark-like sound and uses it as a way to communicate with females and the pups.

California sea lions mainly feed on offshores. Their prey includes squid, anchovies, rockfish, sardines, and mackerel. Can sprint to 25 miles per hour avoiding the predators or catching prey.

california sea lion, sea lion, offshore animals

How Do They Look?
Females can reach 6 feet and 220 pounds and the males can grow up to 7.5 feet and can weigh 700 pounds. When it comes to color, adult females are blonde to tan in color while the adult males are dark brown to black. Experienced moms flip upside down to take a breath but keep an eye on their little ones.

The California sea lions are the deep divers, they can collapse their lungs and slow their hearts from 90 beats per minute to just 20. Blood is shunted away from tissue that doesn't need much oxygen so that specialized muscles can grab the extra o2. All of this allows a sea lion to hold its breath for 15 minutes and can safely dive to 900 feet in search of squid. 

Breeding
Males can perform successful mating as early as 2 years of age. But they have to reach 9 years of age in order to reproduce. The breeding usually takes place on the beach and the mating activity starts at the end of June or in early July. Pregnant females give birth one in a year and can start mating after three to four weeks. A newborn pup weighs up to 13 to 20 pounds. The pups learn to recognize the vocalizations and smell from their mothers.

Sea Lion Colonies
California sea lions are highly social animals. A colony can be 1500 strong but there is no doubt who is charge around here. A pretender to the throne must be big and fat as possible for the breeding season. If he can beat up and drive off the current champion, the bull's job has just begun. Endless patrolling for trouble makers and predators eventually takes its toll. Most bulls last just a few weeks before a rival sends him packing.

Like all marine mammals, the sea lions are been protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which shows an increase in population since 1975.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sea Turtles: The Endangered Species

Image
Sea Turtles have outlived almost all the prehistoric animals once they shared the planet. Marine turtles inhabit the oceans open waters and coastal habitats, feeding on jellyfish and other aquatic plants and animals. They are the live representatives of a group of reptiles that traveled our sea for more than 100 million years.  Importance of Sea Turtles These sea turtles have been living for more than 100 million years and maintaining a fundamental link in the marine ecosystem. They maintain the health of seagrass beds and coral reefs that benefit the valuable species such as lobster, shrimp, and tuna. Having outlived million years they can hold their breath up to five hours. They also transfer the vital nutrients from oceans to beaches and dunes. The seven extant species are The Green, Loggerhead, Kemp's Ridley, Olive Ridley, Hawksbill, Flatback, and Leatherback, which are endangered. Five of the seven species are found in tropical and subtropical waters. The other two sp...
Read more

What Gives More Oxygen on Planet Earth?

Image
Everybody knows that plants and trees produce oxygen for the earth. But, do you know that oceans and seas contribute more oxygen. Produced by marine plants, algae and single-celled organisms called phytoplankton. These may not be seen by the naked eye but produce more, which is not even close to the proportions produced by the trees and plants. The ocean produces oxygen as a by-product of photosynthesis, which converts sunlight and carbon dioxide and can use as energy. One type of plankton, Prochlorococcus releases tons of oxygen into atmosphere. So small, that can millions can be present in a single drop of water. It produces 20% of the oxygen to the earth biosphere, which is more than the rainforests on land combined. Scientists mention that a single cell can give oxygen for one in every 5 breaths we take. Calculating the amounts of oxygen on oceans may vary because of the change in climate conditions, geographic location and with the tides. It is also important to remember that the...
Read more

Experiencing Georgia Aquarium

Image
Hey there, I'm Mounika and I'm here to talk about the most magical and engaging place Georgia aquarium  No matter your age, everyone is a kid at Georgia Aquarium . Home to the most amazing aquatic animals, including beluga whales, whale sharks, manta rays, penguins, sea otters, dolphins and many more. Whether it may be dolphin show or sea lion presentation or entering the zone of Predators of the Deep, everything is amazing at Georgia aquarium. Filled with 11 millions gallons of water in seven permanent galleries making home to over 100,000 animals.  The Georgia Aquarium is divided into 7 sections: Coldwater Quest, Ocean Voyager, Tropical Diver, Georgia Explorer, River Scout, Predators of the Deep and Dolphin Tales. Ocean Voyager is the largest exhibit with 100-foot underwater tunnels and one of the largest viewing windows.  There's so much to see in Georgia Aquarium. I spent half a day roaming and getting mesmerized by the amazing creatures. Located in Downtown Atlanta a...
Read more