Habitat of Sea Lions

Often confused with seals, sea lions have their own distinct intelligent identity that makes them the favored ones to be trained by the U.S. Navy's Marine Mammal Program, based in San Diego, to detain and help scuba divers. A sea lion is a mammal that lives in the oceans and roams the land close to it. In natural habitat (wild) they live up to 10-15 years, whereas in captivity with a healthy zoological environment; 25-35 years. They are not very aggressive in behavior, although there have been instances of attacks on human, but they are far and between. Most species of sea lion are readily trainable and widely used for entertainment as well rescue operations.

Information about Sea Lions

Sea lions can be easily distinguished from other members of their order, as they have external ear flaps, long front flippers, that lets them walk easily on land. Depending upon their type, they weigh about a ton, and are 2.4 to 2.8 m in size. They have a slightly elongated face, with little wishers on both sides close to their nostrils. They 'cute' appearances has made them a popular attraction at aquariums and zoos worldwide. But don't let that fool you, these carnivores can devour an entire fish, even giant pinnipeds hunt fish, squid, octopi and smaller seals using their conical shaped canine teeth. Although part of the oceanic life, they can only stay underwater for 10-15 minutes at a stretch.

Habitat
Sea lions live in the waters near and on sandy and rocky shores of coastal islands and mainland around the world. Their exact locations or habitats depend upon the type of sea lion they are. They are categorized under the areas, countries or continent they are found in. Their habitat includes coastal temperate to sub polar waters, and are generally found huddling together in places where these carnivores can get an ample amounts of squid, herring, mackerel, sardines, capelin, etc.

Types
Primarily, there are seven known Sea Lion species that have been identified that belong to the seven genera of modern pinnipeds.

• Steller Sea Lion: Also known as the Northern sea lion, stellers are the largest of all, with males weighting up to 1,100kg and females have of it. They are mostly found off northern Pacific coasts from Japan to California.
• California Sea Lion: California sea lions can be found along the Pacific coast of North America, from Canada's British Columbia to the vast coastline stretch of Baja California in Mexico. Among all in the family, they are among the most vocal mammals.
• Australian Sea Lion: As the name suggests, the Australian sea lions are only found along the South and West of Australia. In this type, the pups need to be saved from the adult males, as most adult males see pups as a threat to their breeding dominance.
• New Zealand Sea Lion: Commonly known as the 'Hooker Sea Lions', its mostly found on the southern coast of New Zealand. Due to an outbreak of disease, nearly half the population was killed, however, with concentrated efforts the numbers are on a rise.
• South American Sea Lions: South American sea lions can be found along the Pacific coast and South Atlantic coast of South America including the Falkland Islands. They have an extremely large head as compared to others and an upturned snout that makes it look a little odd!
• Galapagos Sea Lion: Galapagos sea lions are found on the islands of the Galapagos Archipelago and Isla de la Plata, where they can be seen swimming in the ocean or soaking up the sun right besides tourists. They are considered to be mighty social!
• Japanese Sea Lion: The Japanese sea lion has been extinct since the 1950s. They were hunted down as they were considered to be a threat to the fisheries along the coast of Japan.

Of the seven types of sea lions found, the Australian sea lion has a different breeding cycle. The rest usually start their breeding season in May. The males are very territorial in nature during this period. Both males and females are capable of reproduction at about five years of age, and the female can bear up to one pup per year that weighs between 13-15 pounds at birth. Female sea lions have a 10-12 month gestation period. Upon birth, the females will nurse the young pups for a period of 4-12 months, most pups are known to follow their mothers for several years. The pups are recognized by their mothers by a keen sense of individualistic smell.

The survival of the habitat along with these inquisitive, playful, attractive and endearing creatures is under attack from the onslaught of commercial fishing and habitat destruction to make way for sea resorts and other allied properties.