7 Fascinating Facts About Sea Lions

The sea lion is a marine animal named after one of the fiercest predators on land. While sea lions share some similarities with the King of the Jungle, sea lions and lions look nothing alike.

 

If you're curious about sea lions, you may sign up for the sea lion encounter, one of the SeaWorld™ encounters available at the first-ever marine theme park in the Middle East, SeaWorld™ Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The encounter lasts 40 minutes, during which time marine life conservation experts can tell you all about the sea lions and their habitats while you observe the marine residents, take their pictures, and, if you're lucky, get a close encounter.

 

Below are some captivating facts about sea lions:

 

1.    There are six existing species of sea lions.

The following are the six sea lion species and their specific habitats:

 

●       Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus): The Steller sea lion thrives in the colder temperate and subarctic Bering Sea and the North Pacific Ocean (which separates Russia and Alaska).

●       Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea): The Australian sea lion likes the sandy beaches, rocky bays and reefs of the western and southern coasts of Australia.

●       South American sea lion (Otaria flavescens): The South American sea lion lives on the sandy, rocky and gravelly shores of South America, from the western coast of Peru and the eastern coast of Rio de Janeiro and down to the southern end (e.g., Falkland and Cape Horn islands).

●       New Zealand sea lion, also Auckland or Hooker's sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri): The New Zealand sea lion lives in New Zealand's subantarctic southern islands, including Auckland, Campbell, Stewart Island, Otago, and the Southland region.

●       California sea lion (Zalophus californianus): The California sea lion lives on the North American west coast, from British Columbia to central Mexico.

●       Galapagos sea lion (Zalophus wollebaeki): The Galapagos sea lion prefers the beach to rocks. You'll find them in Ecuador's Galapagos Islands and Isla de Plata.

 

2.    They walk on land.

Sea lions are called pinnipeds (i.e., fin-footed or flipper-footed) because they have front and rear flippers. They use their flippers to walk on land.

 

They can walk on all fours because of flexible hip joints that allow their hind flippers to rotate forward and toward their underbelly, one at a time, to support the weight of their body and their front flippers.

 

3.    They're fast swimmers.

Sea lions look awkward (but precious) on land. However, they're agile and nimble underwater because of their bodies' hydrodynamic, torpedo-like shape. In fact, sea lions can swim at a rate of 40 to 48 kilometers per hour.

 

4.    They fast.

No, there's no missing verb, and it's not a grammatical mistake. Yes, sea lions are fast, but they fast, too — that is, they stop eating.

 

Males fast during the breeding season. They cannot leave their established territories to forage for food, so they forgo food. For male sea lions, it's females over meals, apparently.

 

Females also fast, but not to enforce their ascendancy and claim over female sea lions. Instead, female sea lions fast to nurse, nurture, and protect their young.

 

5.    They are similar to lions in four ways.

There are four distinct ways sea lions are similar to land-bound lions.

 

●       Like their namesake, sea lions are predators.

●       Most sea lions grow long, thick fur from the back of their head to their shoulders. In other words, adult male sea lions of all but one species (Zalophus californianus) have thick, leonine manes.

●       Like lions, male sea lions have harems.

●       Sea lions also roar to protect their territory and defend their harem.

 

Despite the above, however, lions and sea lions have more differences than similarities. For one, lions can survive only on land, but sea lions are primarily marine animals that can walk on land.

 

Lions also walk with their heels up. Only the soft pads of their toes make contact with the ground; they tiptoe forward. This is why they are stealthy and quiet despite their size. Sea lions, however, use the entirety of their flippers to ambulate on land.

 

6.    They are countershaded.

Sea lions are countershaded; they're darker on top and lighter on the undersides. The darker dorsal (top) side renders them invisible to anyone looking down into the water from the surface; it helps them blend with the ocean floor when a prey is looking down on them. The lighter ventral (underbelly) side, meanwhile, helps them blend with the lighter color of the surface, so they're less noticeable to predators that may be lying in wait on the ocean floor or in deeper waters.

 

7.    Sea lions are not seals.

"Seal" is not short for "sea lion," and while seals and sea lions are relatives, they're distinct animals.

 

Sea lions and seals are both pinnipeds. Pinnipeds have three distinct lineages: Odobenidae (walruses), Phocidae (true seals), and Otariidae (fur seals and sea lions). Fur seals are more similar to sea lions than true seals.

 

The following are some differences between sea lions and true seals:

 

●       Sea lions (and their close cousins, the fur seals) have external ear flaps. Think ear lobes in humans. True seals do not have these flaps; this is why they're called earless seals.

●       Sea lions have bigger flippers than seals.

●       Sea lions walk on all fours, but seals don't. Instead, they crawl on their bellies, lifting the lower part of their body and using their front flippers for support.

●       Sea lions make various sounds (e.g., barking, growling, etc.), but seals primarily communicate with grunts.

 

Meet the Sea Lions at SeaWorld™ Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

Sea lions are intriguing animals, and you can meet them at SeaWorld™ Yas Island. You can enjoy animal encounters, underwater walking tours, animal feeding, rides, and other interactive experiences at SeaWorld™ Abu Dhabi.