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Sea Lions display strong social bonds through playful activities and vocalizing with distinct calls. Sea Lions are charismatic semi-aquatic mammals belonging to the family Otariidae, often called the “eared seals.” This family includes Sea Lions, Fur Seals, and Walruses.
- Sea Lion Profile
- Interesting Sea Lion Facts
- Sea Lion Fact-File Summary
The common name for this animal combines two of the most powerful images in the natural world. The Latin name for this family refers to their little ears. This contrast sums up sea lionswell. Cute, powerful marine predators with an impressive roar.
1. Sea lions are different to seals
Seals and sea lions resemble one another quite a lot, despite being from different families. They’re both in the pinniped clade, they both live in marine, coastal environments eating fish, and they both stink to high heaven. But there are some differences if you can get close enough. Seals are usually smaller and spend more time in the water. They’re better swimmers but can’t walk as well on land. They have no visible ears and have round, puppy-like faces. Sea lions are therefore larger, spen...
2. They avoid the bends
Despite spending so much more time on land than their more elegant cousins, sea lions are extremely well adapted to life in the water. One of the coolest adaptations they have is the ability to avoid decompression sickness, or “the bends”. When air-breathing animals ascend in the water too quickly, they run the risk of the dissolved gases in their tissues emerging from the solution as the pressure drops suddenly. This can cause bubbles in the tissues, bringing with it tremendous pain in the j...
3. They can hold their breath for over 20mins
In order to do this, they need to start holding their breath with empty lungs, and that, if you’ve never tried it, is quite uncomfortable. It feels as though you can only hold your breath for a fraction of the time you can with a full set of pipes, and there’s a good reason for this. When you hold your breath, the urge to breathe again doesn’t come from a drop in oxygen levels. Rather, it comes from a sensitivity to the build-up of CO2. This byproduct of metabolism makes the blood acidic and...
Scientific Classification
1. Birgitte I. McDonald and Paul J. Ponganis (2012), “Lung collapse in the diving sea lion: hold the nitrogen and save the oxygen“, Biology Letters. 2. The Marine Detective (2014), “The Case of Stones in Sea Lions’ Stomachs“, The Marine Detective. 3. Ronald J. Schusterman & Kathy Krieger (2017), “California Sea Lions Are Capable of Semantic Comprehension“, The Psychological Record volume.
- Coastal
- 3m (10ft) long
- Around 30 years
Sea lions are related to walruses and seals. Together with the fur seals, they constitute the family Otariidae, collectively known as eared seals. Until recently, sea lions were grouped under a single subfamily called Otariinae, whereas fur seals were grouped in the subfamily Arcocephalinae.
Sea lions are the only aquatic mammals that swim this way. Seals, walruses, whales, otters, and others rely on the back end of their bodies—their tail—to produce thrust. Instead, the sea lion tail is used like a rudder.
Nov 8, 2024 · 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.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Nov 28, 2023 · One of the most obvious ways to distinguish seals from sea lions is by looking at the sides of their head. Sometimes referred to as true seals or “earless” seals, marine mammals in the phocid family, such as harbor seals, have ears and hear very well, but do not have external ear flaps.
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Mar 12, 2024 · Sea lions are globe-trotters of the marine world, with species found from subarctic to tropical waters. However, they’re most commonly associated with the Pacific Ocean, where they’re often spotted lounging on coastal beaches, rocky coves, and islands.
