The Sea Lion Family includes…  Popular California Sea Lion  The Fur Seals 1  However, the Walrus is in a separate pinniped family

The Sea Lions have Ears Animals: Sleeping Sea Lion 2

The California Sea Lion  Rear flippers can move forward, so they can walk and run on land  Uses front flippers in swimming – no hair or nails on the edge  Front flippers can rotate backward to help support weight and keep head up  External testicles present in males 3

Sea Lions…  Have external ears  Have a longer neck than seals so can support their head upright  Graceful and agile swimmers using mostly their broad front flippers (seals use their back flippers to swim) 4

Sea lions…  Bulls (males) are much bigger than cows (females) 5

California Sea Lion  Most familiar sea lion  Trained “barking seals” you see do tricks at Sea World  Found off the Pacific US coast and Galapagos Islands 6

Fur Seals  9 species  Similar to the sea lions but with thick underfur 7

Northern Fur Seal  Migrate from northern Arctic waters to as far south as Baja California during winter. Breed in June and give birth in May in northern rookeries. 8

Hunted?  Once almost wiped out for their fur  Now only subsistence hunting is allowed and an insignificant amount taken in Russia.  Subsistence hunting is when an animal is taken to feed the hunter of their family.  This is legally practiced by Inuit peoples on many pinneped species. 9

Not good…  Now, most are threatened by drowning in fishing nets  They are also killed by fishermen who think they steal their fish 10

Remember…  Fur seals are a similar to but smaller than the sea lions  Sea lions and seals are different  Sea lions are more predatory and will hunt and kill smaller seals 11

The Walrus 12

Walrus Range & Description  Found in both Pacific and Atlantic Arctic areas  Historically as far south as Nova Scotia  No ears, but with rotatable appendages like sea lions 13  Large with a pair of tusks  Stiff bristles on snout act as feelers when eating  Have large ivory tusks  Can run as fast as a human!

Habitat  Habitat is on the edges of the ice pack in the Arctic  Migrate south during winter  Hunted legally by natives 14

Population  Current population estimates place the Pacific walrus at about 200,000 individuals  Though the reproductive cycle is about 2 years between births, the pups remain with the mother for 2 years.  Even though it is the lowest birth rate of all pinnipeds, the population is barely stable  Walrus have a strong fear of humans and machinery noises and will flee en masse 15

Size Matters  At birth ~125 lbs; 4.5’ long  Sexual maturity ~4-5 years  Maturity about age 10  Females 1900 lbs; 9 feet long  Males grow faster and larger to years of age  Avg. over 2,700 lbs in weight and 10.5’ in length  Male tusks are stouter & straighter used threat displays and fighting. 16

Feed and be Fed  Use bristles to find food: eat clams and bottom invertebrates  Suck their food into their mouths as they move along the bottom  They are predated upon by polar bears, 17