Where do sea lions live? Southern sea lion. Behavior and diet

sea ​​lion or sea ​​lion, the largest member of the family eared seals- the weight of large "hardened" males sometimes exceeds one ton (on average, males weigh 7-8 centners). Females are much smaller than males - they weigh no more than 320 kilograms. Sea lions are very heavy, but still somewhat "smarter" than walruses.

A powerful head, a huge mouth, elongated hair on the back of the neck of male billhooks fully justify the second name of the sea lion - a seahorse.

Females are more uniformly colored and somewhat darker than males. I have never met dark melanistic sea lions, but light ones, almost white, could be seen very often.

It is interesting that individual dark spots of a rounded shape are scattered over the body of the animals - a consequence of the disease, mushroom-shaped lesions of the hair and skin. By such marks, if you carefully study and recall them, you can distinguish many animals from a distance.

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Sea lion - the representatives of the eared seal family got their name due to their close resemblance to land lions. Male sea lions make a snarl-like growl African lion. On their heads you can see the same shaggy manes. The pinniped animal (in Latin “with feet-fins”) is streamlined, bulky, but flexible and slender, capable of reaching more than two meters in length. Let's get to know the marine life closer in the article.

Sea lion - description and characteristics

Many are interested in how much an adult sea lion weighs? The mass of a flipper mammal reaches 300 kg. Although the sea lion is quite bulky and looks too big and unwieldy, it feels great for its weight. Female sea lions are much smaller than males by several times - an average of 90 kg. The head of the animal is small in size, outwardly resembles the head of a dog: an elongated, flexible neck, huge bulging eyes. On the muzzle are large, dense whiskers. At the top of the head of the lions is a real hairstyle - a tuft.

The fur of marine life has a brown-black tint. The cover is quite short and sparse, therefore it is not particularly valued, unlike wool. fur seals. Due to the presence of thick limbs-fins, animals deftly move along the coast. Their seal relatives are not as nimble as lions. The body of animals is much more plastic than that of relatives.

Sea lions easily overcome long distances in the water and show real acrobatic etudes. With the help of flippers, they professionally maneuver in the expanses of water and easily redirect their bulky body in any direction. Thus, getting food is not difficult, and the marine life has won the title of a successful getter. Going in search of food, the lion can swim several kilometers from the coast.

Usually lions settle on the sea and ocean coasts, regardless of coverage. These may be rocky shores and sandy beaches. Can be found even in grassy thickets.

Depending on the type of lion, animals can live in different territories:

• The northern sea lion, the sea lion, lives on the Pacific shores and islands, which are nearby. Prefer Canada, USA, Japan. On the shores, animals are located in large herds.
• New Zealand lions prefer in the subantarctic islands, near New Zealand. Most of relaxing on the beaches of Auckland.
• California sea lion settled in northern waters Pacific Ocean.
• The southern view is a frequenter of the shores and ocean waters of the South American regions.
• Australian lions rookery in the south and west of Australia.

It is also worth mentioning that Marine life have long found their place in dolphinariums and circuses. Fur seal and sea lion participate in show performances in aquariums, learn to perform various tricks. It is often believed that these cute animals are absolutely safe. Is the sea lion a predator? AT wild nature A 300 kg trickster can be quite dangerous. The sea lion is a predator, quite aggressive. There are cases when they attacked fishermen and swimmers. There are even more known cases of attacks by lions than by sharks.

Like all relatives, predators live in herds, but their numbers are not as high as those of their comrades-in-arms - seals. Some species can swim out into open waters for a long time and not return to the shore for several days. Therefore, when traveling long distances on a ship, you can see these animals in the middle of the ocean or sea.

Sea lions prefer to stay in the places they have chosen initially, not being engaged in "wandering" from place to place. They live several tens of kilometers from land and communicate with each other by sound urges. Their voices are like the roar of land lions.

What does a sea lion eat?

What does the inhabitant of the "big" waters - the sea lion eat? It feeds on marine gifts: fish, octopuses, crayfish and any edible little thing that gets along the way. They find prey at the bottom of the sea and ocean, at a depth of up to 100 meters. When a lion runs into a hedgehog fish, it swells to such an extent that the lion cannot bite through it with its limited mouth.

The fish are being chased high speed, maneuvering between shells, algae and sea caves. In the expanses of water, lions move as easily as birds fly across the sky, actively rowing with their front limbs and hind flippers.

Marine life does not accumulate large layers of fat and do not eat in reserve. They feed daily on fresh seafood and have no problems finding food.

If a marine mammals are on a hill, they can safely jump from it into the water from a height of up to 20 meters. Favorite delicacy, one of the varieties of lions - sea lions, are: herring, pollock, capelin, halibut, gobies, flounder. The eared family can eat seaweed, octopuses. Since the lion is a predator, it can even attack a shark. Adult males, if they really want to eat, can attack a penguin.

Some fishermen testify that sea lions attacked their catch.

Sea lion breeding

The mating season occurs once a year right on the shores where sea lions live. They behave much calmer than, for example, fur seals. Males occupy the beach territory and protect it from strangers. Sometimes sea lions come to grips with competitors, trying to win back their rights to females. Females gather in herds and wait for who will become the strongest male inseminator.

Sometimes the fights get big. However, there is no death or bloodshed. Although, as elsewhere, there are exceptions. When young males want to infiltrate a herd of older females, large males defend their harem. Then violent skirmishes occur where some lions may come out of the fight to be injured.

Each male collects about a dozen females around him. The owner is vigilant to ensure that his "ladies" do not look at other males and especially do not have relationships with them. Those individuals that do not breed move away from the rest of the rookery to the side. When the female enters estrus, she lies down next to the chosen male and presses tightly against his body. Without taking their eyes off the lion, they begin to mate. This happens in water or on land within an hour.

Pregnancy of lionesses lasts 12 months. They give birth to little sea lion cubs, and at the same time they begin to mate again with males. To next pregnancy the female is ready in 2 weeks after birth.

Lion cubs are born with a golden hue, with a weight of 20 kilograms. At first, the female mother is not separated from the newborn. When she becomes pregnant again, she moves away from the baby and begins to swim out into the sea, losing interest in her born lion cub. Those females that continue to feed their babies with 30% fat milk stay with the babies for 6-7 months.

After giving birth, the female carefully licks the baby, transferring her scent to him, so as not to confuse him with other newborns. In the first half hour, she exchanges sound passwords with the lion cub, which help to find the cub.

Life span of sea lions

How long does a sea lion live? After the animal begins to molt, young individuals gather in a separate herd. They live separately until they reach sexual maturity. Females reach maturity at 2.5-3 years. Males undergo serious competition, so they can acquire a harem only after 5 years. The life span of a mammal is 20 years.

The difference between sea lions and seals

The difference between a sea lion and a seal is obvious. According to the way of life, the two varieties of relatives differ from each other. The differences are as follows:

• sea ​​lions maneuver more dexterously in the water, these animals are quite dexterous and flexible "acrobats";
• Their skin is also different. Lions have a meager fur coat and small fat reserves, which cannot be said about a fur seal. Therefore, seals are hunted much more often, and in Japan one of the species of these animals was even completely destroyed;
• there are 5 types of lions and 8 types of seals;
• Lions have large long flippers and a massive body. Smaller fur seals.

It is worth noting that there are also a lot of similarities. Considering the family community, as well as external similarities. The Southern sea lion has similarities with seals: in males, a crest grows on the head, the same as in seals.

Enemies of sea lions

Significantly reduce the life of lions - sharks and killer whales. Predators can reach speeds up to 55 km / h. Killer whales are the most aggressive species of toothed whales and are considered the most dangerous enemies for sea lions.

Animals may die earlier from a collision with ships. Sea lions are very smart and quick-witted, they, suspecting the danger from sharks, are looking for help from people! There were times when an animal swam up to the yachts and asked to be rescued, showing it with all its appearance.

Lions are lucky that their hair is not valued among fishermen. And they are not economically beneficial for manufacturing enterprises.

Types of sea lions

There are five types of marine life:

• Northern;
• Southern;
• Californian;
• Australian;
• New Zealand.

Northern

The northern sea lion has another name - the sea lion. This species lives on the Kuril Islands, Kamchatka, Alaska. Of all the subspecies of sea lions, the sea lion is the largest subspecies with pronounced sexual characteristics.

This view is truly enormous. Adult males reach a length of 3-3.5 meters, and weight up to 500-1000 kg. Females are much smaller, but relative to other subspecies - very large. Weight is 250-350 kg. Representatives have a light red skin color. Females are very graceful, flexible, the head is small.

The difference of this species from the rest is determined by socialization. They live only on the northern shores and coastal zones. Sometimes they are found on ice floes. They are fixed to the place and do not migrate to other territories.

AT annual cycle animals are separated by periods: migration to the sea and stay on land. Male sea lions become capable of breeding at about 5 years old, but they are allowed to approach females only at 7-8 years old. Mating starts from late May to early June.

Reproduction is based on the fertilization of many females by one male. This type of sea lion is not very active in protecting its harem. They are "selfish" and in the harem they solve only their own needs. After the birth of the cub, the females mate again after 10 days.

The diet consists of shellfish and fish. Sometimes they attack fur seals. In Russia, this species is listed in the Red Book, as it is on the verge of extinction. Scientists explained this situation by bad ecology.

Californian

The California sea lion lives in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, it is also called the northern one. There are 190 thousand of them. Every year their number increases by 5%.

Lions differ from other species in their unique ingenuity and adaptability to any situation. Even if cataclysms occur in nature, animals quickly rebuild and survive. They can often be found in aquariums and circuses, zoos. He is easy to train and friendly with humans, despite his predatory roots. It is the only species that can survive in a limited area.

Specially trained sea lions participated in military maritime operations. Disruptive mechanisms were installed on animals.

The California sea lion is the king of marine life. Outside the mating season, males and young lions move north, while females stay with their cubs in rookeries or go south. Therefore, females and males keep apart and meet only once a year.

Animals spend their free time on the coast. They are real "sleepyheads", they like to have a good sleep, lounging next to each other. In the daytime, they massage themselves on stones or scratch with their neighbor's claws.

The diet of the California lion consists of marine life: squid, salmon and herring. The lion swallows small fish right in the depths of the sea, big booty eats dry. If a large school of fish is found, then the lions go hunting together.

In the 16th century, meat and animal skins were much more in demand than they are now. At this time, animals began to be massively exterminated and the population decreased markedly.

The mating season is from May to September. At this time, the lions become especially active and settle down on the beach with their harem. They give birth to a cub weighing up to 6 kg, 70 cm long. One female has one lion cub.

• the animal swims at 30 km/h and with more more speed can move along the coast;
• can hold its breath in the depths of the sea for 10 minutes and dive under water to a depth of 250 m.

Southern

The southern subspecies of the sea lion is a representative of the South American regions. The male reaches almost 3 meters in length, weight up to 300 kg. Females are much smaller up to 100 kg. The skin is dark brown, lighter underneath. The head, neck, shoulders are covered with a large tuft of lush hair.

Southern lions live in the Falkland Islands, on the shores South America, parts of Brazil. AT sea ​​waters squid, octopus, fish are mined. They often attack penguins. According to the observations of scientists, only the southern subspecies will attack penguins.

During breeding, a lion harem can include up to 15-18 females. Males carefully control their females and watch that they do not move into a neighboring harem. Males from other sites constantly want to steal a neighbor's female into their harem.

Sea lionesses give birth to one cub weighing 15 kg. After 3-4 days, the females leave for food, and the babies are left alone. If they get hungry, other females feed them.

Animals are dying because of sharks, killer whales, at the hands of fishermen and because of chemicals that enter the ocean.

Australian

Individuals of the Australian subspecies are smaller than their counterparts. A male 2.5 meters long weighs about 300 kg, and a female 1.5 meters up to 100 kg. Females and males differ from each other even in color: dark brown in sea lions and silver in lionesses.

Animals are located along the coast of Australia, the nearest islands. They do not migrate and adhere to the places on which they were originally based, even outside the breeding season. The longest migration distance reached no more than three hundred kilometers.

In their behavior during the mating season, the subspecies of lions does not differ from direct relatives. When males come to a herd of females, they win the right to the harem they like. There are constant clashes in the herds due to young males who want to get someone else's lioness. Male Australian lions are highly aggressive, they are like "jealous" guard their females so that they do not leave their range. With special enthusiasm they drive away other males, sometimes it comes to slaughter.

An individual of this species is considered a rarity. There are only twelve thousand sea lions.

New Zealand

Predatory mammal from the family of eared seals. The skin is colored black with a brownish tint. Thanks to the mane on the shoulders, they look quite large up to 2.5 m, females up to 1.8 m. Distributed on subtropical islands near New Zealand. The name of the subspecies indicates their territorial location. Most often found in Auckland.

The behavior is no different from other subspecies of sea lions. They also arrange fights in mating season and protect their grief from the "hungry" young. The most dexterous and tenacious individuals win, the rest are forced out to unpromising places.

There are about fifteen thousand New Zealand lions. In the 19th century, animals were caught by fishermen and mass extermination. In almost a few decades, the number has decreased by five times. These individuals were first mentioned in 1806. Today they are protected.

Interesting facts about sea lions

Interesting Sea Lion Facts:

• animals have a hoarse and rather sharp, rough voice;
• in Japan, there is a male who has a very thin and gentle voice, which is unusual for sea lions. His songs come to listen to the visitor of the oceanarium;
• mammals are real intellectuals and actors;
• communicate with each other with a specific set of sounds. The same sounds warn each other of danger;
• most often, California lions have a tendency to get lung worm disease. Even 50 years ago, it led to the death of animals;
• according to the laws it is allowed to catch animals for zoos and circus performances. Also, marine inhabitants participate in medical experiments due to their ability to hold their breath for a long time under water;
• The dental jaw of the animal has the same canonical shape and is adapted to capture slippery food.

Sea lions are worth seeing. The most interesting pinnipeds can be seen in aquariums and circuses. There they are trained and safe for people. However, in the wild, it is best not to try to stroke their fur. It is fraught with sad consequences.

Interesting facts about the sea lion will help you learn a lot new information about these animals.

Sea lion: interesting facts

There are 5 species of sea lions currently living

The sea lion (or northern sea lion), one of the species of sea lions, can grow up to 3 m and reach a weight of 1,000 kg.

Sea lions consume a large number of food at a time - about 5-8% of its own weight. For one "fishing" an adult animal needs up to 20 kg.

Sea lions use their lungs to breathe underwater. For about 30 minutes they can be at a depth, after which they are forced to surface. Oxygen is also stored in the blood and muscles.

Pregnancy of females lasts a year. Sea lion cubs are called puppies, they are fed with milk for up to 5-7 months. Mothers find them thanks to their keen sense of smell.

The sea lion can swim 9-10 thousand km and take a break just to sleep.

They live in herds and lead a harem lifestyle. The male can fertilize up to hundreds of females per season and stay without food for up to three months.

The life expectancy of sea lions is 20-30 years.

The high population of sea lions is explained by the economic unprofitability of harvesting these animals and prevented their fishing. This saved them from mass destruction.

Sea lions are an ecotourism destination in New Zealand and Australia. A tourist park in Australia annually receives 100,000 people who can watch animals on the shore from boats.

The sea lion is the unofficial symbol of the Galapagos Islands.

It is not clear what pulled me to reconsider Dr. House, but this story begins with him;)

So, the 9th episode of the 7th season ... and the first phrase "How is a sea lion different from a fur seal?". This question was asked by the girl to her father. For 10 seconds, which the father asked again and laughed off in response to the question, I managed to flash the thought “Well, what, the lions are larger in size, and the seals have a sweet and kind face ....” And then the girl says the answer "Sea lions have ears ..."
After that, there was a thunder in my head and a murderous thought, “And the child will be smarter than me.”

These ears, cats and lions did not give me peace ... Honestly, I am, in a sense, an information maniac ... and I will dig until I “dig out”;) An hour later, I was enriched with new knowledge ... Here is what I managed to find.

Cats, lions, seals, walruses and ... all similar living creatures belong to the group of pinnipeds. But pinnipeds are divided ... into walruses, eared seals and real (non-eared) seals .

Sea lions just belong to the family of eared seals, and fur seals also belong to the same species. So both sea lions and fur seals with EARS. But there was no mistake in the script for this episode of Dr. House ... the mistake was in the translation ... The original phrase was: “What’s the difference between a sea lion and a seal?”. Seal is translated into Russian as a fur seal and a seal ... But seals are just the same without ears. So it is more logical to compare non-seals and lions and eared and non-eared seals.

Let's start with the most obvious - with the ears;) eared seals the ear is pronounced and even hangs down a little, a kind of small funny ear.

Wow, such a tiny and funny ear, it is almost invisible

But at seals there are no ears as such .. there is an “ear hole”, it is not visible at all. So if you do not consider the head of the seal right next to close range, it seems that he just has a smooth head (almost Kutsenko).

Try to find the "ear hole" in the seal seal

It makes no sense to compare the dimensions of the animals of both families themselves, since large-sized representatives are found in both.

They have different flippers: real seals - small and there are claws on the front paws of the fins, but the eared the fins are large and you can't manicure them. Due to the different structure of the fins, they move and swim differently.

Even this little lion cub has more flippers than a seal

Did you find flippers?

Members of the eared family decorously stride on land using both front and rear flippers; rear to a greater extent - they turn them forward and at the same time under themselves.

“And she herself is majestic ... she acts like Pava!”

BUT seals not so lucky with fins - so they act like real scouts - they move in a plastunsky way on their stomachs.

Crawl-crawl-crawl….

cat lions swim in the water "swooping" with their front flippers, just like birds flap their wings, and their "Earless" get together cheerfully sort out the front flippers in different directions and “taxi” the tail with the rear flippers.

And I'm flying…. and I'm flying…. and I want to fly!….

Brownian movement with paws?

Lions (and others lived in the same family) they like to make noise and quarrel, they yell like they are cut and already loudly, already laying their ears. And here "real" seals they behave quite decently, breaking the silence only with a barely audible grunt.

And finally, about socialization in society. eared seals very gregarious and very socially active animals. They like to gather in a big pile and enjoy the sun. At the same time, they are absolutely not shy and love a lot, it’s normal for them to sleep on top of each other.

Somewhere in the bay near San Diego

Although they write that eared seals on the contrary, they are individualists and rarely gather in seal flocks, but I have never seen them quite so proudly alone. But they certainly do not climb each other's heads.

These guys are better behaved ;)

They are so different, but so cute!

The sea lion or sea lion to the north is much larger than the southern one. Males reach a length of 3-3.2 meters, and their weight is 700-800 kg. Females are twice as small. Their mass does not exceed 350 kg, and their body length is 2-2.3 meters. This animal lives along the shores of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean. This is Kamchatka, Commander, Aleutian, Kurile Islands, Alaska.

In the Bering Sea, and therefore in Arctic zone there is no northern sea lion. But he comes across the coast North America all the way to central California. This is the largest eared seal. He loses in size to walruses and sea ​​elephants but it still looks very impressive.

The color of the body of the northern sea lion is light red. The females look very graceful. Nature endowed them with flexible snake-shaped bodies and small flat heads. Males look much more powerful. They have square muzzles, crowned with manes, and a loud roar is somewhat reminiscent of a lion's roar. They, like all eared seals, arrange harems on rookeries. Moreover, conflicts between males are quite common.

The habitats of animals can be located both on sandy banks and on sheer cliffs. From them, seals jump into the sea, although sometimes the height of the cliffs reaches 15-20 meters. Sea lions avoid ice, therefore, wintering in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, they stick to its central and southern non-freezing areas. They feed on shellfish and fish. Sometimes they attack northern fur seals and eat them.

Eared seals are characterized by polygamy. This is when one male fertilizes several females at once. That is, harems are created, but the customs in them are very democratic. The male sea lion is not a selfish owner and does not require females to be near him all the time. The ladies make great use of this and settle down on the rookery where they like.

The female usually gives birth to one cub. After giving birth, she becomes aggressive, and she does not let anyone near herself and the baby. Mating occurs 2 weeks after birth. This process ends at the end of June. From the second half of July, the rookery begins to gradually empty, and the harems disintegrate.

There are also bachelor rookeries. They are arranged by those bulls who, for a number of reasons, could not create their harems. These are very young males and old ones. After the breeding season ends, the more fortunate relatives mix with the unlucky ones.

In recent decades, the number of these animals has decreased significantly. But the reason why the northern sea lion began to die out, experts cannot explain. Many believe that the environment is to blame. Others blame killer whales for everything, mercilessly eating poor seals. It is believed that fishing vessels catch pollock and herring in huge numbers and leave sea lions without a main source of food. The situation is especially difficult for representatives of this genus in Alaska, although the shooting of animals is strictly prohibited.