South American sea lion
The South American sea lion, known scientifically as Otaria flavescens, is a prominent marine mammal found along the coasts of South America, from Brazil to Peru. With a population exceeding 250,000, these large, stout creatures are characterized by their dark brown to golden fur and distinctive shaggy manes in males, which contribute to their lion-like name. As members of the eared seal family, they possess external ears and are well adapted for both aquatic and terrestrial life, using their foreflippers for swimming and balancing on land.
Primarily carnivorous, South American sea lions feast on small fish, crustaceans, and occasionally squid, often foraging in small groups or alone. Their breeding season spans from August to February, during which males establish territories and form harems of females. After a gestation period of about one year, females give birth to a single pup, which they nurse for up to a year while balancing their own foraging needs. These social animals typically have a lifespan of 15 to 20 years in the wild and are currently not considered threatened, although they face predation from sharks, killer whales, and human activities.
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South American sea lion
The South American sea lion is one of the most common species of sea lions. There are over 250,000 South American sea lions in the world in the twenty-first century.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Otariidae
Genus: Otaria
Species: Flavescens
South American sea lions are large, pudgy mammals with coats of dark brown to golden fur and skin. Male South American seal lions have shaggy manes of fur around their heads and shoulders. This is probably why they were given the name lion. They may also be called sea lions for the way they roar. Even though South American sea lions are called sea lions, they are also part of the order of animals called eared seals. That means they have rolled up ears that stick out on both sides of their heads. South American sea lions have tail fins and two foreflippers that help them swim in water and balance on land. Male South American sea lions grow to be about 9 1/2 feet (three meters) long and weigh up to 770 pounds (350 kilograms). The females are a littler smaller. They grow to be about 6 1/2 feet (two meters) long and weigh about 330 pounds (150 kilograms). Like all eared seals, South American sea lions have a layer of fatty tissue, called blubber, located right under their skin. This fat is used to keep the animals warm in colder waters and acts as a storage place for food.
South American sea lions live in the coastal waters and on the rocky beaches around South America from Brazil to Peru. They are carnivores, or meat-eating animals. They eat mostly small fish and crustaceans. Some South American sea lions near the Falkland Islands have been seen eating squid and larger lobsters. While feeding at sea, they often travel in small groups or alone. They are often found where the ocean current brings fish and other sea life up to the top of the water.
Because the eared seals are social breeders, the breeding grounds are very lively places during the breeding months. Often the males will fight with each other for mates. Successful breeding bulls, or males, have harems, or groups of female mates. Mating season for South American sea lions takes place from August through February. They have a gestation period (duration of pregnancy) of about one year. The female then gives birth to one pup, or young sea lion. Shortly after giving birth the female will mate again. She nurses her pup for six months to one year. She stops nursing that pup when she is ready to give birth again. During the nursing months the female travels out to sea to find food for herself. When she comes back from one of her trips to sea, she finds her pup among the hundreds of others by yelling out her special pup-attraction call. The pup will recognize its mother's call and respond. Females are ready to mate when they are between three and four years old. Males mate around six years.
South American sea lions protect themselves from predators such as human hunters, large sharks, killer whales, and leopard seals by finding secure breeding grounds on land.
South American sea lions have a life span of about 15 to 20 years in the wild. They may live longer in captivity. They are not a threatened species.
Bibliography
Liu, Sonia. “ADW: Otaria Flavescens: Information.” Animal Diversity Web, 2000, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Otaria‗flavescens. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Thiessen, Mirko. “South American Sea Lion - Facts, Diet, Habitat, & Pictures on Animalia.bio.” Animalia, 2024, animalia.bio/south-american-sea-lion?custom‗list=272. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.