California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus californianus) - St. Louis Zoo - St. Louis, Missouri

The playful, curious California sea lions are very social animals. They live in groups, or “harems,” that include a bull and 10 to 15 cows. During their summer-long breeding season, they gather in the thousands on isolated coastlines and islands. Males patrol territories and bark almost continuously during the breeding season. This species takes part in synchronized reproduction, which is why 90% of California sea lions are born in June. Young can swim at birth and walk within an hour after birth. Mothers recognize pups on crowded rookeries through smell & vocalizations. A sea lion pup can pick its mother out from hundreds of sea lions just by the sound she makes.

Sea lions have many adaptations that help them thrive in the water. They have a thick layer of fat, called blubber, which helps with buoyancy and swimming, serves as an energy reserve, and helps to regulate their body temperature. Their torpedo-shaped body makes them streamlined, helping them dive to depths of up to 1,000 feet (three football fields). They can close their inner ears and nostrils, keeping water out! Even their tears protect them, continuously washing over their eyes as they swim.

Sea lions have the same bone structure in their fore flippers as humans have in their hands, though theirs are modified for swimming. They also have five “fingers” in their hind flippers – they even have three toenails. They can rotate their hind flippers under their body, allowing them to stand on all four limbs. Using both their fore flippers and hind flippers, they are able to walk on land. Unlike humans, they don’t see in color. Instead, they see in black and white but can pick up tones of green and blue. This helps them detect movement in their aquatic environment.

-- California Sea Lion 'Did You Know?' --
‧ California sea lions are a part of the Otaridae family, which they share with other eared seal species (sea lions and fur seals)
‧ California Sea Lions are listed as “common” and not currently endangered in the wild.
‧ Sea lions, seals and walruses are marine mammals belonging to an order called pinnipeds, which means “fin-footed” or “wing-footed.
‧ They live in ocean waters and coastlines along the Pacific Coast of North America.
‧ They can eat over 30 pounds of food per day.
‧ A female will give birth to one young at a time.

stlzoo.org/animals/mammals/sea-lions-seals/california-sea...

-- Technical Information (or Nerdy Stuff) --
‧ Camera - Nikon D7200 (handheld)
‧ Lens – Nikkor 18-300mm Zoom
‧ ISO – 1600
‧ Aperture – f/5.6
‧ Exposure – 1/1600 second
‧ Focal Length – 52mm

The original RAW file was processed with Adobe Camera Raw and final adjustments were made with Photoshop CS6.

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Taken in: United States / Missouri / Clayton-Tamm (show map)

Taken on: April 15, 2023

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California Sea Lion

Zalophus californianus californianus

social animals

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Otaridae family

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coastal eared seal

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smiling sea lion « less

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Camera: Nikon D7200, f/5.6, 1/1600 sec, 52mm (=78mm), ISO 1600 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D7200
Lens:	18.0-300.0 mm f/3.5-5.6
Aperture:	f/5.6
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/1600)
Focal Length:	52mm (35mm equivalent: 78mm)
ISO:	1600
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	High gain up
Saturation:	High
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows)
Show full info

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