Endangered Species: Sea Lion
By Justin Burks
Sea Lion
SCIENTIFIC NAME
-Pinnipedia
COLOR
-Grey Brown
SIZE
-Males are typically around 2.4 m (7.9 ft) long and weigh up to 350 kg (770 lb), while females are typically around 1.8 m (5.9 ft) and weigh up to 100 kg (220 lb).
CHARACTERISTICS
-Narrow Muzzles Long Whiskers
ANIMAL GROUP
-Mammal
ANIMAL HABITAT
-The majority of them live in the sub Arctic areas where it extremely cold. The biome of the sea lion consists of ocean areas that have rock, vegetation, and easy diving for shellfish.
-Sea lions are found from Vancouver Island, British Columbia to the southern tip of Baja California in Mexico. They breed mainly on offshore islands, ranging from southern California's Channel Islands south to Mexico, although a few pups have been born on Año Nuevo and the Farallon Islands in central California.
FOOD
-They eat herring, pacific whiting, rock fish, hake, salmon, squid and octopus.
INTERESTING FACTS
-A Sea Lion is able to dive up to 600 feet for in the water.
They can swim up to 25 miles per hour
Sea Lions are near-sighted
The average life span of a wild sea lion is 20 years
The males are called bulls and the females are called cows
WHY IS IT ENDANGERED
-Sea Lions often suffer from an array of health problems associated with humans. They include pneumonia, epilepsy, and various types of cancers. Plastic is a huge threat to Sea Lions when it is found in the water. Something that may seem safe to you such as plastic rings from a six pack of soda can be deadly for them. They will swallow the plastic and then have problems internally with the digestion process.
ESTIMATION
-There is an estimated amount of 200,000 sea lions alive today.
WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT
-They are predators and keep their ecosystem balanced.
EFFORTS TO SAVE SEA LIONS
-People are recycling more and are creating foundations to keep from polluting sea lions' habitats. They are also donating to and sponsoring sea lions.
RESOURCES
-World Wildlife Fund