Mammals: CALIFORNIA SEA LION

SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION

COMMON NAME:	California sea lion, Galapagos sea lion
KINGDOM:	Animalia
PHYLUM:	Chordata
CLASS:	Mammalia
ORDER:	Pinnipedia
FAMILY:	Otariidae
GENUS SPECIES:	Zalophus (lophus translates into crest) californianus

FAST FACTS

DESCRIPTION:	Like other "eared" seals, California sea lions have prominent external ear flaps and long foreflippers covered in fur past the wrist and tiny claws. The hind flippers are shorter and also have short claws at the ends of the digits.
MALE	Adult male California sea lions have a prominent sagittal (cranial) crest, making them easy to distinguish from females and immature males. Mature males also tend to be a much darker brown color and are substantially larger than adult females. Unlike many other species of sea lion, California sea lion males lack a well-defined mane.
FEMALE	Mature females and immature males are light yellowish to tan in color and lack the prominent sagittal crest of the adult male.

WEIGHT:	At birth, sea lion pups weigh about 6 kg (13 lb.)
MALE	200-400 kg (441-882 lb.)
FEMALE	50-110 kg (110-243 lb.)

DIET:

Fishes, squid and octopus

GESTATION:	Gestational period 11 months; possibly up to 3 months of delayed implantation
ESTRAL PERIOD	About 3 weeks after giving birth in June and July
NURSING DURATION	6 months to a year (wean)

SEXUAL MATURITY:

4-5 years for both males and females

LIFE SPAN:

15-25 years

RANGE:

British Columbia to northern Mexico

HABITAT:

Inhabit rocky and sandy beaches of coastal islands and mainland shorelines along the coasts

POPULATION:

GLOBAL

About 200,000 for the California subspecies; the Japanese subspecies is considered extinct

Mammals