California sea lion
Did you know?
How can you tell the difference between a seal and a sea lion? Seals have ear holes, while sea lions have ear flaps. They also “walk” on land using their fore-flippers, while seals scoot on their bellies.
Discover Sea lions
Meet our sea lions
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Eating
(and predators!)
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California sea lions love to eat – rockfish and anchovies, krill and squid.
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Sharks, orcas and humans are their three main predators.
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Calling
for dinner
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Sea lions gather in huge colonies on seaside rocks for breeding and birthing.
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Mothers have special calls to identify their pups to feed them.
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Diving, growling
and breath-holding
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Sea lions are very noisy – they bleat, growl, roar and bark to warn intruders, attract mates and more. Males defend their territory fiercely.
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They’re also very fast swimmers (up to 25 miles per hour underwater), and can dive for nearly 10 minutes without breathing.
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Protecting Marine Wildlife
THE THREAT: While sea lions are widespread, all marine mammals face human-caused threats: oil spills, chemical pollutants, entanglement in fishing debris and human harassment.
TAKE ACTION: You can help all sea animals by speaking up against off-shore oil drilling, and doing the right thing with plastic trash. Refuse single-use plastics altogether.
Marine Stories
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