sea lion images and 16 interesting facts
Sea lions, these pinnipeds distinguished by external ear flaps and long foreflippers.
These creatures are capable of walking on all fours. Their body is covered with short but thick hair.
Their body is usually characterized by a large chest and belly. They have six extant and one extinct species which is the Japanese sea lion.
With an average lifespan of about 20-30 years, they are found in the subarctic to tropical waters of global ocean.
They are found in the northern as well as southern hemispheres.
A male sea lion's weight averages around 300kg (approx 660lb). It's around 2.4 meters long.
A female sea lion weighs 100kg (approx 220lb) and is around 1.8 meters long.
Among their species, the largest sea lions are Stellar's sea lions which can weigh a 1000kg (2200lb) and grow to a length of 3 meters i.e. 10 feet.
Sea lions are capable of consuming large quantities of food at a time. Thye are also known to eat about 5-8 % of their body weight in a single feed.
The Australian sea lion, galapagos sea lion and New Zealand sea lion are listed to be endangered at the moment.
For humans, it's rare that a sea lion may attack but if the human is anywhere in the proximity of 2.5 meters or 8 feet, it can be dangerous.
The most unusual attack by a sea lion occured in 2007 in Western Australia. A sea lion leapt from the water and attacked a 13 year old girl surfing behind a speed boat.
Many incidents have been reported at docks along San Francisco Bay. Many swimmers were bitten on the legs by large male sea lion which is presumed to be territorial acts by aggressive males.
A 62-year-old San Diego man was left with a punctured bone after a sea lion attacked him while he was boating with his wife.
IMG: IRISHMIRROR
In yet another attack in 2017 a sea lion pulled a girl into the water by her dress. The girl was sitting on a pier side in British Columbia while tourists illegaly fed the sea lions.
A man named Kevin Hines attempted suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. A sea lion helped him stay afloat until he was rescued.