Basic information about sea lions. Sea lion

Who are they - these carnivorous mammals? And what does the ocean dweller have in common with the large cats found in the savannahs? The answer to this question is quite simple: in mature males, the hair on the collar is longer than on the rest of the body, which gives rise to a vague resemblance to the mane of an African predator.

Habitat

It is believed that sea lions live only in the Southern Hemisphere. There are three species of them there - according to their habitat: Australian, New Zealand and southern, found off the coast of Africa and Latin America. But north of the equator, such animals are also common. This is the California lion and. And if the first species is not much different from its southern counterparts (since it lives in the subtropics and there is no need for it to accumulate reserves of subcutaneous fat), then the sea lion has occupied a living niche in fairly high latitudes Northern Hemisphere. It lives in Russia on the Kuril Islands, in the Sea of Okhotsk, Kamchatka, Sakhalin. It can also be found on the Commander and Aleutian Islands, Alaska and the coast North America all the way to California.

Sea lions, unlike other seals, are amazingly graceful creatures. Even on land they are quite active and move deftly, and in the water they even show the wonders of circus acrobatics. Their skin is brown, with rather short fur. This unattractive coat and meager reserves of fat saved the species sea lions from extermination by people. Hunting them is not as profitable as fur seals and other seals, although the endemic species of these animals was completely destroyed in Japan. A streamlined body, strong flippers, a flattened small head with small, slightly bulging beautiful eyes allow the lion to dive to a depth of 90 meters and chase schools of fish at high speed.

Appearance and behavior

The body of this representative of the pinniped order has a streamlined and elongated shape. His limbs are in the form of flippers. The head is small in size and is attached to a relatively long and very flexible neck. These animals are more mobile than the rest of their relatives. On the face you can see funny antennae called vibrissae. The animal's hair is very short and not too thick.

Male sea lions are much larger than females; females weigh, on average, 90 kilograms, while representatives of the opposite sex weigh 300 kilograms. The height of the animal is about 2 meters.

Sea lions quite often swim into open ocean. There they get their food and can spend several days in the water. Basically, the sea lion is a sedentary animal, although there are still some semblances of nomadism. Animals can move up to 25 kilometers from the coast. Communication between individuals is carried out through a variety of sounds, vaguely similar to a growl, but softer.

Nutrition

The basis of the diet of these mammals are animals such as: crustaceans, mollusks and some species small fish. The very dexterous and resourceful body of the sea lion makes it an excellent hunter - it very quickly and quickly pursues its prey, and then enjoys the process of eating it.

Reproduction

Once a year these animals experience mating season, during which one male gathers around himself a certain number of females (10 – 12). In the future, he becomes the father of future offspring from each “his” female. Sometimes males fight among themselves for leadership, but these fights are not too fierce.

The process of gestation lasts one year, after which babies are born - sea lion cubs, which the mother feeds with her milk for the first 5 to 7 months of life. Immediately after birth, females again begin mating with males in order to replenish the herd with new individuals a year later.

When new members of the herd finish their first molt. They form separate group who lives alone until she reaches puberty. The average lifespan of these mammals is 20 years.

Enemies

The main natural enemies of these animals are killer whales and sharks. Sometimes sea lions become victims of large water transport - they die from a collision with it. Interestingly, lions use their natural intelligence to protect themselves from predators. There is a known case when a sea lion, having collided with a killer whale on the open sea, approached the yacht. An absolutely wild animal demonstrated to people with all its appearance that it needed help and asked for protection.

These animals have extremely developed mental activity. They are smart, inventive, highly tamed and amenable to training. This, as well as their innate dexterity and grace, make them regular actors in aquariums and dolphinariums. Therefore, most of us have known what a sea lion looks like since childhood. And in conditions of free life, flocks of these seals escape from their natural enemies - sharks - by staying close to people, settling in at marinas, ports and even navigation buoys.

Types of sea lions

Males southern species They grow quite large - about 2.5 m in length with a weight of 300 kg. They are dark brown in color, turning yellowish on the ventral part. Females are almost as long, reaching 2 m, but are twice as slender and weigh up to 150 kg. The color of females is similar to that of males, but a little lighter and with the presence age spots over the entire surface of the body. Habitat – coastal zone Pacific Ocean in the territory South America, as well as the Atlantic - in the south of Brazil. Small groups are found in the Falkland Islands and Galapagos.

Northern view grows up to 3.5 m and is a heavyweight with a mass of up to 1 thousand kg. Females are half the length and three times the weight. Steller sea lions are the second name these sea lions have. Sakhalin, the Kuril, Commander, Aleutian Islands, Kamchatka, Alaska and the Sea of Okhotsk are their habitat areas.

Australian, or white-capped species, formerly lived in an area spanning the south of the mainland and up to Tasmania. These sea lions are similar in size to their southern counterparts. However, they have fundamental differences in appearance depending on gender: for example, females have a silver-gray or light brown tint, more saturated on the back. Males have thicker colors. The brown tint immediately visually distinguishes them within the colony.

California sea lions They also have a name - black, or northern. This is explained by both color and habitat. In appearance, California sea lions resemble seals, but are much larger mammals. The colonies took possession of the northern Pacific waters. They are characterized by amazing intelligence and high communication skills, so they are often tamed and trained in a zoo, dolphinarium or circus.

New Zealand The species is named after the lands developed by sea lions (including Snarsky, Auckland and Campbell Islands). Males reach a length of about 2.5 m, and the mane growing on the collar area also gives them massiveness. Females grow up to 2 m and have a more grayish tint. These pinnipeds live in colonies, the numbers of which fluctuate in small numbers. On land they occur in relatively low densities. They communicate with each other through sounds similar to a lion's roar, but much softer.

Streamlined, bulky, but flexible and slender, in comparison with other types of seals, the body of this mammal can reach a length of two or more meters.

This figure eloquently demonstrates the impressive the size of a sea lion. As for weight, males are especially massive, with an impressive three hundred kilograms of living flesh. True, sea lionesses are three times smaller than the male representatives.

The usual color of animals is dark or black-brown. How can you be sure sea lion photo, the head of these aquatic creatures is small; the muzzle is elongated, like that of a dog, with thick whiskers called vibrissae.

The animal's eyes are slightly bulging, large sizes. Males that have reached maturity are distinguished by a significantly developed cranial crest, which outwardly looks like a large crest. In addition, males are adorned with a short mane, formed on the neck with more extensive hair than that of females.

Description of the sea lion cannot be considered complete without the last of the mentioned signs, since it was this that became the reason for the name of this beast, which is very apt in essence, considering that lions depths of the sea They make sounds reminiscent of a hoarse growl, but their voices have slightly less roar than those of fur seals.

The neck of animals is flexible and quite long. Their pinnipeds, flattened limbs with movable paws allow them to move quite quickly on land, which distinguishes them from clumsy ones.

However, the fur of sea lions is not particularly thick; moreover, it is quite short, so it is considered to be of poorer quality and is valued less than that of family relatives.

Sea lion lifestyle and habitat

Biologists distinguish five types of such animals. One of them is northern sea lion, also called sea lion. This animal is decorated with a golden mane and massive withers. The weight of males of this variety reaches 350 kg.

Sea lion rookeries spread almost along the entire coast of the Pacific Ocean and nearby islands. They are found in water areas Far East, Japan, USA and Canada. When talking about this variety, it is important to mention that it is considered rare and needs protection.

The southern sea lion is a regular on the shores and ocean waters New World, located on the other side of the equator. This species is interesting due to the impressive difference in size between pinniped lions and lionesses.

Male specimens are sometimes about three meters long, while their female counterparts are much smaller. Representatives of the species are light brown in color and do not have a mane.

Sea lion rookery

Inhabitants northern waters Pacific Ocean are representatives of the Californian variety. Such creatures are distinguished by particularly extraordinary intelligence and are easy to train.

From time immemorial, the indigenous inhabitants of the New World hunted these animals, lusting for their meat, fat and skins. And with the arrival of Europeans on the continent, mass hunting soon began, which worsened the situation of the animals. But at present there are strict restrictions on the capture and hunting of these representatives of the fauna.

Individuals of the Australian variety, depending on gender, differ greatly in body color. Males are dark brown, while females are lighter, and often even boast a silver-gray coat color. Another species of these animals is in dire need of protection. Scientists believe that New Zealand sea lions were once much more common in nature than they are now.

But having become a victim of industrial development in the century before last, their population has undergone significant reductions. And in some places of former habitat, for example, on the Auckland Islands, similar look was completely destroyed.

All species of the described pinnipeds are distinguished by impressive mental abilities, as evidenced by the highly developed certain parts of their brain. Animals are quite mobile in water, which is the main sea lion habitat, where they are able to show real miracles of acrobatics.

These are, for the most part, inhabitants of the southern hemisphere, found on open coasts at the foot of the oceans and seas, on sandy and rocky beaches, in thickets of seaweed.

Spending your life in warm water, they do not need significant reserves of fat, so they have almost no fat layer. This circumstance, as well as the low quality of their wool, made hunting for the animal economically unprofitable, which saved them from mass destruction.

However, many species of sea lions, as already mentioned, still require special protection. These also include, in addition to those already listed, one of the Californian subspecies - Galapagos sea lion.

The mode of existence of such creatures is gregarious, and accumulations of animals in natural environment extremely numerous. They spend a lot of time on land, but sometimes they go out into the open ocean.

While swimming, their forelimbs move quite actively. By rowing in this way, animals move in the ocean waters. They usually roam over distances not exceeding 25 km, and do not make seasonal migrations.

The enemies of animals in nature are and, to which they are regularly attacked. Curious information O sea lions and their proof is very developed intelligence There are separate facts about the appeal of these representatives of the fauna to people on passing ships and yachts for protection from attacks by predators.

Sea lion feeding

The described sea animals are capable of diving to a depth of one hundred meters or more, jumping down from a height of twenty meters. Moving in such conditions with extreme ease and the beauty of a bird's flight in the sky, they hunt fish and crustaceans, eat shellfish, and often raid their prey together. This is especially advisable when large schools of fish appear.

The above indicates that sea lion feeding what the depths of the sea send him, but his diet should be more fully described depending on his habitat.

For example, the food of sea lions often includes: small herring, pollock and capelin, larger halibuts and greenlings, numerous varieties of gobies and, as well as perches, salmon, sand lances and other fish that live in the seas.

To this should be added cephalopods and, in some cases, they serve as food seaweed and even sharks. And male southern sea lions eat not only octopuses and squid, but also hunt penguins. They often take part of the fishermen's catch, damaging their nets.

Reproduction and lifespan of the sea lion

During the mating season, which occurs once a year on the shore in rookeries, sea lions behave much calmer than, for example, fur seals or elephants. Occupying a certain area and protecting its borders from the encroachments of strangers, male sea lion Although it often gets into fights with fellow competitors, defending its rights to a harem, sometimes consisting of a dozen, and often more, females, there are usually no fierce bloody battles.

Pictured is a sea lion with a baby

True, there are exceptions to this rule. For example, young male southern sea lions, when they become adults, patrol the harems of the older generation in search of girlfriends. As a result of such attacks, very violent clashes often arise, and the losers receive bloody deep wounds.

In a harem, individuals that do not participate in reproduction usually stay at the edges of the area, occupying a separate place in the rookery. A female sea lions after mating, they carry their cubs for a whole year in order to immediately become pregnant again and, after a one-year period, give birth to offspring again.

The owner of the harem is vigilant to ensure that his favorites do not look elsewhere and do not have relationships with rivals. But, meanwhile, they are ready to do this at any moment, constantly looking at the property of other males.

Pictured is a baby sea lion

Immediately after birth, sea lion cubs have golden fur and weigh about 20 kg. For the first few days, they do not leave their mothers, who protect them. But after the next mating, which can occur a week after birth, they begin to gradually lose interest in the cubs and go to sea for a long time in search of food. However, mother sea lions continue to feed their offspring with milk, which has up to 30% fat content, for about six months.

Gradually, the young animals begin to form their own groups and thus learn the wisdom of life, growing to puberty in bachelor flocks. The females mature before the males, joining the harem of one of the husbands at the age of two or three years.

Males, competing with each other for the attention of their chosen ones, have a more difficult time finding the opportunity to have the desired harem, so they acquire their own females no earlier than five years of age. On average, the lifespan of sea lions is about two decades.

Sea lion

M. lion is the name given to several species of pinnipeds from the family of seals, or sea lions (Otariidae). These are all large pinnipeds with hard, hairless undercoat of yellowish or brown color of various shades (most dark in young ones). They present significant individual differences in color and a very sharp difference in size between animals of different sexes: females are much smaller. Everyone lives in herds. At the time of breeding, they gather in large, sometimes enormous numbers on some islands or even shores (“rookeries”); The males are the first to swim, take places on the shore and, upon the arrival of the females, engage in fierce battles with each other. An old male gathers 12-15, sometimes more, females around him and carefully guards them; During breeding, the males remain on the shore and take almost no food, so that, appearing at the rookeries strong and fat, they leave them very emaciated and emaciated. The so-called southern M, lion, maned seal(Otaria jubata Desm., see table Pinnipeds, fig. 2), yellow-gray to brown-yellow; the female is darker, gray-black on the back and sides; the male has a mane of elongated hair on his neck; the length of an adult male from the end of the muzzle to the end of the hind flippers is up to 2.7 m, the length of the female is slightly more than half the length of the male. In the upper jaw there are 6 molars on each side; the skull is lower and wider than that of the following type. Lives in the Antarctic seas south to Graham's land, along the western coast of the South. America and in large numbers off the coast of Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands. The small amount of fat makes this form unprofitable in commercially. Apparently, these animals have quite developed mental abilities, at least there is a known case when it was possible not only to tame and train a M. lion well, but also to teach him to do various things on the orders of the watchman (this M. lion lived for several years in London. zoological garden). Northern M. lion, sea lion(Eumetopias s. Otaria Stelleri Lass.), separated from the previous species into a special genus based on the shape of the skull and the number of teeth (5 molars in the upper jaw); the hair on the neck is slightly elongated, and the skin forms folds. Male black to brown or gray; sometimes with spots, length (from the end of the muzzle to the end of the flipper) 4 - 4 1/2 m; they say that specimens up to 5 m were encountered; average weight about 450 kg, but can reach 1000. The female is mostly light brown in color, up to 2 3/4 m long, and relatively thinner. Young animals are dark chestnut-brown in color. The sea lion lives in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean from the Bering Strait to California and Japan, but along the eastern coast of the Pacific Ocean it goes further south (to the equator). The rookeries lie mainly between 53 and 57° N. w. Mating occurs in California between May and August, in Alaska from June to October. Steller sea lions feed on fish, mollusks and crustaceans; according to some observers, they allegedly also eat water birds (they allegedly lure seagulls for this purpose, plunging under the surface of the sea and making a slight movement of water). Sea lions in rookeries emit a loud roar. In those places where they are not disturbed, they live close to human habitations, showing relatively greater trust (for example, on the cliffs of Cliff House Station near S. Francisco). For the Aleuts, these animals are very important, as they provide them with food (meat and fat), lighting (fat), leather for shoes and boats, intestines (from which, after tanning, waterproof clothing is prepared), and tendons. Europeans hunt sea lions for their fat and skin; the latter is used to prepare glue; In addition, mustaches (up to 45 cm long) sold to China are also used. The Europeans on the Californian coast are beating them with guns. On St. Paul Island they are hunted in the following way. Hunters try to cut off the herd (usually 20-30, rarely 40 pieces) from the shore and then drive them away from the shore with shouts, shots, rockets, etc.; Some of the sea lions rush into the sea and leave, but the rest allow themselves to be easily driven a considerable distance from the shore, where they are surrounded by a rope with rags hung on stakes - this fence is enough to keep the herd from escaping: the hunters continue to drive and surround the herd after the herd until they collect 200-300 animals. Then the entire herd is driven to the place where they are supposed to be killed, sometimes a distance of 11 English miles, which takes 5-6 days in favorable (wet and cold) weather, otherwise up to 2-3 weeks. Steller sea lions are very quiet and timid animals, and it is very easy to drive them; For this purpose, umbrellas are often used: by opening and closing them, you can force even the most stubborn people to walk. When the herd is driven to the proper place, the males are shot with guns (in the head), and the females and young ones are hit with spears. On the western shores of the North Pacific, sea lions and related animals are caught in open-mesh nets as they follow salmon entering rivers and bays. The genus Zalophus belongs to the same group of seals, which also has 5 molars in the upper jaw, but the skull is much narrower, with a high longitudinal (arrow-shaped) crest and narrow muzzle. Black M. lion- American black sea lion (Z. californianus) is a common animal on the California coast; its color ranges from reddish-brown and dirty gray to almost black; the length of an adult male reaches 2.4-2.7 m; newborns are dark gray in color. Z. lobatus is found off the northern coast of Australia and the eastern coast of Asia south of Japan. This also includes Phocarctos hookeri, living off the Auckland Islands.

N. Book

Encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron. - S.-Pb.: Brockhaus-Efron. 1890-1907 .

Synonyms:

See what "Sea Lion" is in other dictionaries:

Seal Dictionary of Russian synonyms. sea lion noun, number of synonyms: 2 animal (277) seal ... Dictionary of synonyms

LION 1, lion, m. Large predatory animal of the family. cats with short yellowish hair and long mane in males. Fights like a l. who n. (bravely). Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

Sea lions California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) Scientific classification Kingdom: Animals ... Wikipedia

sea lion- (Seeliwe), the code name for Hitler's planned landing operation on the British Isles. The plan, approved by the directive of July 16, 1940, boiled down to the following: crossing the English Channel, landing between Dover and Portsmouth around 25... ... Encyclopedia of the Third Reich

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 weight 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. These are Kamchatka, the Commander Islands, the Aleutian Islands, the Kuril Islands, and Alaska.

In the Bering Sea, and therefore in Arctic zone there is no northern sea lion. But it is found on the coast of North America all the way to central California. This is the largest eared seal. It is inferior in size to walruses and elephant seals, but still looks very impressive.

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

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

Eared seals are characterized by polygamy. This is when one male fertilizes several females at once. That is, harems are created, but their morals 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 take great advantage of this and settle down in a rookery where they like.

The female usually gives birth to one baby. After giving birth, she becomes aggressive and does not allow anyone near her or 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 employ those cleavers who, for a number of reasons, were unable to create their own harems. These are very young males and old ones. After the breeding season ends, the more successful relatives mix with the unlucky ones.

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

Kingdom: Animals

Type: Chordates

Subtype: Vertebrates

Class: Mammals

Infraclass: Placental

Squad: Predatory

Suborder: Canidae

Infrasquad: Pinnipeds

Family: Eared seals

Subfamily: Sea lions

Habitat

Sea lions - inhabitants Southern Hemisphere. They can be found on the shores of South America, Australia, New Zealand, and only the California sea lion has moved north to the subtropical zone. All species of sea lions live on the open coasts of seas and oceans, and are found both on rocky and sandy beaches and even in thickets of grass. Thanks to their intelligence and general mobility, these animals have even mastered cultural landscapes.

Appearance

Among sea creatures there is one with an unusual name for aquatic animals - sea lion. Does this animal really look like a lion? Judging by appearance, it’s not at all similar, except for one small detail... And besides, they belong to a completely different order (pinnipeds) and family (eared seals). Only 5 species of these animals live on our planet: southern, northern, Californian, New Zealand and Australian sea lions.

Male sea lions are much larger than females; females weigh, on average, 90 kilograms, while representatives of the opposite sex weigh 300 kilograms. The height of the animal is about 2 meters.

Types of sea lions

Northern sea lion, or sea lion

The northern sea lion or Steller sea lion (lat. Eumetopias jubatus) is the largest species. Lives in the northern hemisphere in the territory from the west coast of North America to our Kuril Islands. Adult males grow to the size of walruses - 3-3.5 m in length and weighing more than 1 ton. Females are much smaller. In the Red Book of the Russian Federation they are classified as category 2 - close to becoming endangered. The International Union for the Conservation of Animals classifies sea lions as a group of animals that are in danger of extinction in the near future. The main diet of sea lions- cephalopods and bivalves, squid, octopus, various fish (gerbil, rays, salmon, herring, sea bass, halibut, flounder, gobies, sharks, greenlings, capelin, pollock), sometimes algae. Dietary variation is dependent on geographic variability. When getting food, the sea lion dives into water to a depth of 100-140 meters. The animal is capable of diving from a height of 20-25 meters and is an excellent swimmer.

Mating occurs at the end of spring. Male sea lions are polygamous and reproduce in harems, which includes from 3 to 20 females. The formation of harems occurs due to bloody fights, the seizure of territory, which is subsequently guarded very jealously. Males are distinguished by their warlike and aggressive character, for this reason they rarely end up in zoos and circuses.

Pregnancy female sea lions lasts 12 months. After the birth of the cub, she does not leave his side for several days. But as time passes, it periodically leaves the newborns and goes to sea to feed. By the first half of July, the harems disintegrate and sea lions live in a common herd, which includes young animals of both sexes.

A small sea lion can already swim when it reaches the age of one month, and by three months it is able to get food. Females reach sexual maturity at 3-6 years, males at 5-7 years. Average life expectancy – 25-30 years.

Southern sea lion

The southern sea lion (lat. Otaria byronia) lives off the coast of South America, in Peru, Brazil, and the Galapagos Islands. Weighs 300 kg. They are distinguished by a lighter brown color. The mane is lighter than the body, almost yellow. There are also light spots of irregular shape on the body.

Males are slightly larger than females, the upper side of their body is dark brown, the lower side is yellowish. Their skin color is light brown, with irregularly shaped spots on it.

They usually live in large mixed herds. During the breeding season, which occurs from late December to mid-January, breeding and non-breeding individuals are separated. Breeding males create their own harems, which they protect from rivals. Females give birth to one calf, which they feed for 6 months.

Sea lions feed mainly on squid, crustaceans, small fish, and sometimes attack penguins.

Australian sea lion

The Australian sea lion lives in southern Australia. The body length of the male reaches 270–360 cm, weight – 410 kg. The female’s body length is 180–300 cm, weight – up to 230 kg. In males, the color of the body and head is dark brown, and the mane is yellowish. Young males have a light neck and no mane. The back of females is bright brown, the belly is yellowish or entirely dark yellow.

The skull is similar to that of the New Zealand sea lion, but its width is smaller. Distribution is limited to the southern coast of Australia from Hootman Rock in the west to Kangaroo Island in the east.

Ecology has not been studied enough. Leads a sedentary lifestyle and can stay near its place of birth throughout its life. It feeds mainly on fish, crabs and penguins. It climbs rocks well, sometimes goes far from the water (up to 10 km). Stones are always found in the stomach. The birth of cubs occurs in October - early December. Harems consist of 4–5 females. During the breeding season, male penguins have been observed to eat them.

The number is small and by 1958 did not exceed 2–10 thousand heads. These pinnipeds have no commercial significance.

California sea lion

The California sea lion (lat. Zalophus californianus) weighs 300 kg. Females of this species are the smallest - about 90 kg. Their muzzle is very elongated. In males, the mane is very weakly developed, and distinguishing feature males, what determines their attractiveness to females is the characteristic crest on their heads. The California sea lion (lat. Zalophus californianus) lives in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, in three widely separated habitats: in the waters surrounding the Galapagos Islands, off the southern coast of Japan and mainly near the southwestern coast of North America.

This animal is distinguished by its extraordinary intelligence and excellent memory, is easy to train and has a clear sympathy for humans, considering it its brother in mind. The California sea lion not only eagerly performs in the circus, demonstrating miracles of dexterity and a penchant for peculiar humor, but also serves quite responsibly in the ranks of the American Navy and even takes part in hostilities as much as possible.

Sea lions were deployed during the 1991 Gulf War. Unlike numerous action films and horror films, in fact, they were never used to blow up enemy ships and other sabotage work, but because of their psychology, they performed exclusively security functions.

They have two main military specializations - some lions detect mines, while others use a special device to catch vile underwater spies. A sea lion suddenly swims up to them and attaches a special clamp with a rope attached to the side of the ship to their leg. Before the caught villain has time to come to his senses, brave combat sea swimmers are already rushing towards him with various piercing and cutting objects.

New Zealand sea lion

The New Zealand sea lion (lat. Phocarctos hookeri) weighs 200-250 kg. An adult male reaches a length of approximately 2.8–3 m, and a female - 1.8 m. The weight of a male is approximately 400 kg, a female - 230 kg. Males are blackish-brown with a well-developed mane of long dark hair. The color of females is much lighter, reddish-brown or dull yellow. Newborns have delicate chestnut-colored hair.

The distance from the posterior edge of the bony palate to the incisors is approximately 45% of the length of the skull. The width of the skull at the level of the canines is approximately equal to 23% of the length of the skull. The bony palate in the canine area has a deep depression.
Distributed throughout the year off the coast of the Auckland Islands (off New Zealand).

Ecology has been poorly studied. Drawings are located on sandy shores, as well as in bushes and grass away (up to 800 m) from the shore. In early October, adult males crawl ashore and seize territory for a harem. Females appear a month later. There are an average of 12 females in a harem. Cubs are born in the last week of December - January. The lactation period lasts approximately 7 months. Mating occurs shortly after birth. By the end of January - beginning of February, most of the females are covered, most of the cubs can already swim, the harems begin to disintegrate and the males go to sea to feed.

Molting of adults and young animals happens in April. New Zealand sea lions eat small flounder and other small fish, crabs and bivalves, and sometimes eat penguins. The number is 10–50 thousand heads. New Zealand sea lions traded in the 19th century. Currently, the rookeries of these animals on the Auckland Islands are declared a reserve.

Japanese sea lion

The Japanese sea lion (lat. Zalophus japonicus) is currently considered extinct. In appearance, the Japanese sea lion was not much different from its closest relatives: the Californian and Galapagos species. His fur was gray-brown, and his voice was harsh and hoarse, like a dog barking. Like all eared seals, the Japanese sea lion was a herd and polygamous animal (polygamy in a herd is when there is a whole “harem” of females for one male). Japanese sea lions often set up rookeries on sandy beaches, and much less often on rocky ones.

It was a game animal. The following figures speak eloquently about how its extermination proceeded: at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. They caught 3.2 thousand sea lions, in 1915 - 300, in the 1930s. - several dozen. After another 10 years, there was no one left to hunt - there were practically no Japanese sea lions.

This species of sea lions lived not only on the islands of the Japanese archipelago, but also on the Korean Peninsula, the Kuril Islands and the very south of Kamchatka. Probably, these animals used to be found on the shores of the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea, and the Bohai Gulf everywhere. In this region, sea lions were not left alone due to the multitude of vessels plying the seas (from fishing boats to huge trawlers) and active fighting during World War II. The last animal was seen in 1974 on the coast of the small island of Ka Rebun, in the north of the Japanese archipelago.

Interesting information about this species of extinct sea lions can be found in the famous treatise "Wakan Sansai Zue" - an ancient Japanese 105-volume encyclopedia published in 1712. It reflects the ideas of the Edo era people about the "world of Heaven", "the world of Earth" and "the world of people " In particular, the Wakan Sansai Zue says that the meat of the Japanese sea lion was completely tasteless. The animal was hunted mainly for its fat, which the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun used in oil lamps.

Lifestyle

Sea lions are communal animals. They live in small herds on the coasts of seas and oceans. They do not migrate, but constantly live in one place. They can only sometimes wander short distances (from 5 to 25 km) in search of more fishing places. Once a year, males have fights, but they are not very cruel. Females gather around the strongest males, forming a kind of harem.

A harem can consist of one male and 12 females. Sea lion on the hunt The female's pregnancy lasts a whole year. Babies are born with light fur, which darkens during subsequent molts. For the first few days, the mother does not leave the baby at all, looks after it and feeds it with milk. Breastfeeding for sea lions lasts a long time - from 5 to 7 months, thanks to which the cubs grow strong and healthy.

What does a sea lion eat?

The basis of the diet of these mammals are animals such as crustaceans, mollusks and some types of small fish. The very dexterous and resourceful body of the sea lion makes it an excellent hunter - it very quickly and quickly pursues its prey, and then enjoys the process of eating it.

Reproduction

Sea lions are characterized by a harem breeding system, when one male mates with several females and protects them from the attacks of other males. But they do not have dominance over females. If a female does not want to stay with a particular male or is not ready to mate, she can go to another place or to another male.

Males share the shore through fights, often leading to blood. Old, weak, as well as young males are forced to the outskirts of the rookery, where they try to find a lone female. Also, a group of males can gather in a flock of up to 10 individuals and raid someone’s harem in order to kidnap a female. Stronger males are capable of maintaining a harem of twenty females, but usually this is 2-3 females. During this period, the sea lion does not eat and practically does not sleep, defending its territory from other males.

It is noteworthy that in some species, males who do not find success during the breeding season flock into bachelor herds, where they remain all the time while young and strong individuals are engaged in procreation. Such herds are constantly filled with other males who have been forced out of the rookery. These bachelors are bored on land all summer, until the time comes to return to their usual feeding lifestyle.

Before mating, the female gives birth to one cub and takes care of it until the next mating, which occurs after 10-14 days. The female is jealous of her puppies and aggressive towards other people's young. There are known cases of attacks on other people's pups, but it has been noted that about 10% of female sea lions raise other people's offspring.

Security measures

At the beginning of the 19th century, sea lions were hunted for fat on the California coast. The fat of the killed animals was cut into pieces and rendered. By melting the fat of three sea lions, they got a whole barrel of fat. Their skins were used to make glue. At present, sea lions are of little commercial importance. They are often kept in zoos, circuses and aquariums. Thanks to their intelligence and penchant for games, animals have become favorites of children and adults.

Currently, the number of sea lions everywhere is small: off the coast of California and Mexico there are 50 thousand individuals, and off the Galapagos Islands - about 40 thousand, in the waters of Japan - only 200-500 individuals (Scheffer, 1958). According to Nishiwaki (1972), Japanese subspecies Z. californianus japonicus Peters, 1866 appears to have disappeared completely.

Sea lions are included in the Red Book. They are under protection, thanks to which their numbers have stopped declining.

Video

Sources

https://zooclub.org.ua/lastonogie/392-kaliforniyskiy-morskoy-lev.html http://vstlg.ru/animals/yuzhnyy_morskoy_lev/ http://web-zoopark.ru/vymershie_zhivotnye/yaponskij_morskoj_lev.html http: //simple-fauna.ru/wild-animals/sivuch-severnyj-morskoj-lev/ https://o-prirode.ru/severnyj-morskoj-lev/#i-7