![]() ![]() This fellow and I spent some time together. Usually they hang out in groups,sunning away with their noses pointing to the sky. The Californians will be down lower close to the waters edge while the big Stellar boys rest further up.įor some strange reason this fellow was all by himself. Stellar’s always like to be King of the hill on any rocky haul outs. Cali’s are generally darker than the Stellar’s and of course smaller. Cali’s are around 1/2 ton while their bigger cousins the Stellar’s are twice as large at 1 ton. There are two types of Sea Lions we get here,Californians and Stellar’s. Tranquil’s valley can be seen in the background. The spot is Rankin rocks which is east of Tofino about 5 miles or so down Tofino inlet. I took these originally on 2016 October 10. Some of them, however, have made a record to dive up to 100 m (328 ft ).Things have been a tad wet over our way,so I thought I’d repost some shots. Galápagos sea lions are able to dive 30-60 m (98-196 ft) down.These lizards are attracted to the flies around the sea lions, and thus are often found resting around or even on Galapagos sea lions! Galápagos sea lions are special friendship with Lava lizards on Barrington Island.Galápagos sea lions have been observed smashing octopus on the water's surface, allowing for easier consumption.They also have the ability to control their flippers independently and thus change directions with ease, and they have more control over their body on land. They easily propel themselves through crashing surf and dangerously sharp coastal rocks. Although somewhat clumsy on land with their flippers, Galápagos sea lions are amazingly agile in the water.In Spanish, Galápagos sea lions are called “Lobos del Mar” which translates as “wolves of the sea.”.Currently, this species is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing. The pesticide DDT, still in targeted use to prevent malaria in tropical countries, accumulates through the food chain and is found at near-toxic concentrations in sea lion pups.Īccording to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of Galápagos sea lions is around 9,200-10,600 mature individuals. Stray dogs introduced by humans form packs and attack sea lions. They are impacted by humans indirectly as well. The sea lions have learned that being near the fisheries they have a better chance at capturing fish with little to no work, but as a result, they are in more danger from boats and net entanglement. As the human population continues to grow it nevertheless presents various risks for accident and disease. Sharks and killer whales are the main predators of the sea lion, especially little pups are easy targets. From birth, a mother sea lion recognizes her pup’s distinct bark and finds her offspring from a crowd of barking sea lions.ĭuring El Niño events, the population of these animals tends to decrease as ocean temperatures warm and cold-adapted marine life on which the sea lions depend declines, which lead to die-offs. Females and juveniles do not bark, but both sexes of younger pups growl. The rest of the time they spend on the beach. They rarely travel far from the shore and, when threatened will flee from the water as quickly as possible. Most of the time is spent in the water hunting, or just to cool down from the heat. Galápagos sea lions become active at sunrise when the dominant bull first enters the water to feed followed by the rest of the group. ![]() Because the dominant male cannot feed while defending his colony, he eventually becomes too tired and weak and is overpowered by a well-nourished, fresh bull. They usually congregate fairly peaceably on less favorable areas of the coastline in “bachelor colonies”. Because there is only one male in each harem, there is always a surplus of “bachelor” male sea lions. ![]() The average dominant bull holds his territory for only a few months until he is challenged by another male. Territorial males vocalize at higher rates and vocalization is important to them because it plays a key role in the selection of female and helps ward off intruding non-territorial males into their harem. Males in this species are two types: territorial and non-territorial. As they grow, they fight to win dominance of a harem of between five and 25 cows, and the surrounding territory. Galápagos sea lions are very social and on land, they form colonies in their hauling-out areas. ![]()
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