Sea Lion
Zalophus californianus
The California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) is a species of mammal pinniped family otariids living on the coasts of the North Pacific from Canada to Baja California in Mexico.
Species
Zalophus californianus
Order
Carnivora
Family
Otariidae
Danger of Extinction
Amenazada (vulnerable)
Features
Sexual dimorphism is noticeable since males weigh between 300 and 380 kg and reach about 2.4 m long, while females reach only 80 to 120 kg and a length between 1.8 and 2 m. Adult males have a pronounced sagittal crest.
It has a streamlined body with a layer of fat under the skin to provide warmth and buoyancy. The coat is chocolate-brown color. Their large eyes help them compensate for low levels of light in the underwater environment, while their whiskers increase their sense of touch.
The nostrils automatically close once touch water.
Their long front flippers rotate outward for better movement on land and propel forward in the water, where they remain as long as possible.
Customs, food and habitat:
They feed on fish and shellfish. They are very sociable and took them in large groups, on cliffs, coasts and even in the docks and navigational buoys.
Males are territorial and have harems of females fifteen each. Usually mate between May and June and the females have a calf born on land or water at 12 months of gestation. They are the only mammals whose milk does not contain lactose.