Sea lions are intelligent and peaceful creatures that are found on waters all over the world except for the North Atlantic Ocean. There are 7 species of sea lions in all. Their peculiar body shape facilitates them to move comfortably on both land and water. With appropriate training, a sea lion can be taught to perform various body maneuvers such as dancing, tapping and rotating.Their ability to learn tricks quickly is put to use in several aquariums and shows. These calm mammals are only known to be aggressive during their mating season, where the right to choose partner is determined by winning a fight. Other than that, sea lions are very smart and loyal.
Facts about sea lions:
- Although having colour blindness, sea lions have an acute sense of sight which gives them capability to even see through dark waters.
- Male sea lions attain a maximum weight of 800 pounds while females grow to an average weight of 500 pounds.
- Gestation period for a sea lion is 12 months. Birth is given on land.
- Relying on mainly fish to meet their daily nutrition requirements, an average sea lion can consume up to 50 pounds of food per day.
- These animals come under the endangered species list. Apart from humans, they face threat from natural predators such as orcas and sharks.
- Despite their sloppy appearance, sea lions can reach speeds of 25 miles per hour under water.
- With the help of its exceptionally high lung capacity, sea lions can remain underwater for more than 8 minutes.
Sea lions at Pier 39, San Francisco
Pier 39 is a very popular tourist attraction situated in San Francisco. Built on a pier, this location is filled with restaurants, shops, aquarium and a couple of other cultural events. Several street performances are carried out throughout the day. No matter what part of the year, the place is filled with various activities to do. A visit to Pier 39 doesn’t just promise shopping and performances, but also delicious cuisines. The site has several restaurants where you can have world class sea foods such as tunas, halibut and shrimps.
Despite all of its promising features, the main center of attraction is the big herd of sea lions resting on the other end of the pier. Visitors come from all over the country to get a glimpse of these mammals casually lying under the sun. Webcams overlooking the dock captures these sea lions activities and streams a live feed in the pier’s official website. Now viewers from around the globe can watch sea lions play and swim around with ease.
View Sea lions at Pier 39 web cam.
Sea lions in Pittsburgh Zoo
Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium is a 77 acre facility located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Only 5 other such zoo-aquarium combinations exist in the United States. The zoo is home for 4 000 animals belonging to 475 different species. The collection of animals includes 20 endangered species. The zoo was established in June 14, 1898.
Currently, Pittsburgh zoo is an accredited member of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and an active participant for 64 different Species Survival Plans. Seven different sections, each with its own unique theme constitute the zoo. Sea lions are placed in the Kid’s Kingdom section. Further on, there are webcams located in several sites around the zoo to monitor activities of animals and studying their behaviour. One such webcam streams live video of sea lions and uploads them to the zoo’s website. Such attempts are made to draw attention of viewers to the issue of conservation and protection.
View Sea lions in Pittsburgh Zoo web cam.
Sea lions in Florence
Located 11 miles north of Florence and in the US state of Oregon, the Sea lion caves is a series of cave system built thousands of years ago. Over the years, the site has developed into a large-scale resting ground for sea lions. The ecosystem and surrounding has so seemingly fit the natural requirements for these sea lions that they come in the order of thousands to rest in this site. The ocean waters continuously flows into the 2 acre floor of the caves main cavern. Several other passages and corridors lead up and down the sea level.
Among them, the northern entrance is placed 50 m above sea level and offers a perfect observation site for the entire underground cave system. In all, there are 3 main entrances to the sea lion caves. Over the years, the rocky terrain and cliffs have become the only mainland rookery and wintering home ground for sea lions. Link provided below is from the official website of sea lion caves.
View Sea lions in Florence web cam.
Sea Lions from Alaska
The unusual decrease in stellar sea lions over the span of 3 decades has got scientist thinking about the whereabouts of these missing mammals. The population has decreased from 300 000 in 1980 to less than 100 000 by the starting of this century. Scientists from Alaska accompanied by a crew from National Geographic Education have been trying to collect blood samples and records to examine the possibility of any mass-spread illness. One peculiar observation was the loss in body weight over the years.
The cause of decrease, as explained by one theory is the possible decline in the number of prey left. Sea Lions are found to eat a particular variety of fish which constitutes about half of its total diet. Crittercam attached to the back of these Alaskan Stellar sea lions unravel the mystery behind the decreasing population of these mammals. On-going studies have led to other possible theories to which, humans are either directly or indirectly held reason.
View Sea Lions from Alaska web cam.