Sea+Lion

1. There are five species of sea lion. The one most often seen in zoos and circuses, is the Californian sea lion. 2. The Califorian and Steller sea lions live in the Northern Hemisphere the others live in southern oceans near the South American and Australasian coasts. 3. They are often referred to as eared seals because of their small ears. 4. They are expert swimmers and divers. 5. They can catch fish under water. 6. They use their long, sensitive whiskers to help detect prey. 7. On land they can move with great speed using thier flippers. 8. Their blubber and soft gristly ribs protect them from harming themselves when they go down cliff-sides and over rocks. 9. They are naturally playful and can be trained to do simple tricks. 10. Sea lions breed in colonies on beaches. 11. Each bull stakes out his own territory and herds a group of females around him. 12. The single young is guarded carefully by its mom until it can swim and fend for itself. 13. Sea lions are unpopular with fisherman because they blame them for damaging the fish stocks. 14. Californian sea lions seem to prefer squid to fish. 15. Australian sea lions prey on penguins. 16. Steller sea lion scientific name is Eumetopias Jubatus. 17. Steller sea lion family is Otariidae. 18. Steller sea lion class is Marine Mammal. 19. Stellar sea lion is the largest member of the Otarliidae. 20. Steller sea lions are suffering massive, population losses making them endangered. 21. A male Steller sea lion average weight is 2,000 lbs and a females is 600 lbs. 22. They have very thick, yellowish-brown fur when they are dry. 23. Steller pups are black and weigh 30lbs. 24. The sea lion pups are dark brown to black until when they molt to a lighter brown. 25. The pups, called "yearlings" turn to the same color as their parents by their second year. 26. Steller pups only stay with their mother for about one year. 27. Bulls become mature between 3 and 8 years old. 28. Bulls can't usually hold their own territory successfully until 9 or 10 years old. 29. Females can become pregnant for the first time at 4 to 6 years of age, having at a most 1 pup each year. 30. Steller sea lions are opportunistic predators. 31. They feed primarily of fishes and cephalopods. 32. Seasonally they feed near shore on squid,octopus,fish,mackerel and salmon. 33. Steller sea lions sometimes also preys on seals and sea otter pups. 34. Steller sea lions gather at breeding areas called "rookeries" in the spring. 35. Mating occurs during June and July. 36. In august, the males leave the rookeries. 37. Most males remain in northern waters all year while, the females and the pups migrate as far south as Baja California and Mexico. 38. California sea lions are social animals. 40. They can be seen resting close together at chosen " haulout" sites or floating together on the ocean surface in groups called "rafts". 41. Sea lions, fur seals, seals and walruses are called pinnipeds, which means, feather feet in Latin. 42. Their stream line bodies and flippers allow them to move quickly through sea water which is eight times denser than air. 43. California sea lions eat whatever is available: squid, octopus, herring, rockfish, smelt, hake and lampreys. 44. The California sea lion males establish and protect their territories on land and water during June and July. 45. The the best territories are the ones where many females come to give birth. 46. California sea lions are known for their intelligence, playfulness and noisy barking. 47.They are members of the eared family of Otariidae because they have visible external ear flaps and the ability to rotate their hind flippers forward, using all flippers to walk on land. 48. California sea lions are not on the endangered species. 49. The difference between a male and female is a bump or "crest" the males develop on their heads about five years of age. 50. As the males get older the fur on their crest and around their whiskers gets lighter. 51. Adult Male California sea lions can reach 1,000 lbs and 7 feet in length. 52. Adult females can grow to 350 lbs and 6 feet in length. 53. California sea lions look more like dogs than lions. 54. They "bark" and their young are called pups. 55. The body of the California sea lions is so pliable that they can practically bend over backward and touch their nose to the tips of their back flippers. 56. Killer whales and great white sharks are the California sea lions greatest predators. 57. Man cotributes to sea lion deaths through ocean pollution, illegal shooting and entanglement in nets. 58. California sea lions are often mistaken for dolphins when they jump out of the water to make faster time swimming. 59. Young sea lions are sometimes seen riding waves along the shore like human body surfers. 60. California sea lions had a population off the coast of Japan but it was hunted to extinction. 61. California sea lions usually breed on offshore island from the Channel Islands near Santa Barbara to Mexico. 62. They occasionally breed on Ano Nuevo and the Farallon Island in Northern Calfornia. 63. Unlike other marine mammals, seals and sea lions can live for long periods both in the ocean and on land. 64. They hear well both in air and underwater. 65. Special contracting nose muscles allow California sea lions to seal there noses closed. 66. They can remain submerged for 10 to 15 minutes but they are mammals so they must surface for air. 67. California sea lions females and pups can recognize each other mainly through smell vocalizations. 68. California sea lion pups are born in June or July. 69. They weigh 12 to 14 lbs at birth and nurse at least 5-6 months. 70. Like human hands, sea lions flippers have five skeletal digits. 71. These digits are not always visible in sea lions from a distance. 72. California sea lions are various shades of chocolate brown. 73. Their pups are born with a black coat, after about three weeks they grow their brown fur which they will lose or molt every year. 74. Males are usually darker in color than females. 75. California sea lions are polygamous. 76. A mature male may breed with 3 to 40 females in a season, depending on his size and strength. 77. California sea lions are warm-blooded animals with a thick layer of blubber to insulate them against the cold. 78. Their short fur mainly serves to protect their skin when " hauling out" on rocks. 79. Sea lions tear profusely to cleanse their eyes of excessive salt and other impurities. 80. They do not cry. 81. They see much better underwater, on land they are somewhat nearsighted. 82. California sea lions in wild may live up to 18 years. 83. Those in captivity have been known to live 23 years or more. 84. The Steller sea lion is twice the size of the size of the California sea lion. 85. The Steller sea lion is threatened species. 86. California sea lions can swim up to 25 mph in short bursts. 87. They often dive to depths of 360 feet, with recorded maximum dives reaching 800 feet. 88. California sea lions are a creature of habit and usually return to the same territories. 89. California sea lions are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. 90. It is unlawful for unathorized persons to feed, handle or harass them. 91. Like humans, sea lions and other marine mammals can develop diseases such as pneumonia, cancer and epilepsy. 92. One of the biggest dangers to sea lions today is becoming entangled in plastic pollution. 93. California sea lions coexist with seals by always resting a few feet away, giving the seal its space. 94. California sea lions will bite if provoked. 95. Don't ever approach a Beached sea lion or seal. 96. All sea lions propel them selves through the water using their long front flippers. 97. Their back flippers act as stabilizers and are not used much in swimming. 98. You can tell the difference between sea lions and seals because sea lions have visible external ear flaps and walk on their flippers while on land and seals have small ear holes and they crawl on their bellies on land. 99. Thousands of sea lions congregate on crowded rookeries all at one time. 100. The more we learn about California sea lions the better we are to help other threatened species like the Steller sea lion. Sources: The Grolier Illustrated Encyclopedia of Animals [|www.marinemammalcenter.org/learning/education/pier39/facts.asp] [|www.whale-images.com/sea-lion-facts.jsp]
 * ===Physical characteristics=== || Life Cycle || Growth || Body Functions || Pregnancy & Birth || Location / Habitat || Adaption || Problems || Behavior || Diet || Predators / Prey || Family groups || Relatives ||
 * Steller sea lion scientific name is Eumetopias Jubatus || Young sea lions are sometimes seen riding waves along the shore like human body surfers || The single young is guarded carefully by its mom until it can swim and fend for itself || They use their long, sensitive whiskers to help detect prey || Sea lions breed in colonies on beaches || the Califorian and Steller sea lions live in the Northern Hemisphere || They are expert swimmers and divers || Sea lions are unpopular with fisherman because they blame them for damaging the fish stocks || They are naturally playful and can be trained to do simple tricks || Californian sea lions seem to prefer squid to fish || Australian sea lions prey on penguins || Steller sea lion family is Otariidae || There are five species of sea lion. The one most often seen in zoos and circuses, is the Californian sea lion. ||
 * Steller sea lion class is Marine Mammal || The Steller sea lion is threatened species || A male Steller sea lion average weight is 2,000 lbs and a females is 600 lbs || On land they can move with great speed using thier flippers || Females can become pregnant for the first time at 4 to 6 years of age, having at a most 1 pup each year || others live in southern oceans near the South American and Australasian coasts || They can catch fish under water || The more we learn about California sea lions the better we are to help other threatened species like the Steller sea lion || Each bull stakes out his own territory and herds a group of females around him || California sea lions eat whatever is available: squid, octopus, herring, rockfish, smelt, hake and lampreys ||  || Stellar sea lion is the largest member of the Otarliidae || They are often referred to as eared seals because of their small ears ||
 * They are members of the eared family of Otariidae because they have visible external ear flaps and the ability to rotate their hind flippers forward, using all flippers to walk on land. || California sea lions in wild may live up to 18 years || Steller pups are black and weigh 30lbs || Their blubber and soft gristly ribs protect them from harming themselves when they go down cliff-sides and over rocks || A mature male may breed with 3 to 40 females in a season, depending on his size and strength ||  || They have very thick, yellowish-brown fur when they are dry || It is unlawful for unathorized persons to feed, handle or harass them || Bulls become mature between 3 and 8 years old || California sea lions eat whatever is available: squid, octopus, herring, rockfish, smelt, hake and lampreys ||   || Steller sea lions are suffering massive, population losses making them endangered || The Steller sea lion is twice the size of the size of the California sea lion ||
 * California sea lions will bite if provoked || California sea lions are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act || The sea lion pups are dark brown to black until when they molt to a lighter brown || Their stream line bodies and flippers allow them to move quickly sea water which is eight times denser than air ||  ||   || California sea lions are various shades of chocolate brown ||   || California sea lions are a creature of habit and usually return to the same territories ||   ||   || The California sea lion males establish and protect their territories on land and water during June and July ||   ||
 * California sea lions are warm-blooded animals with a thick layer of blubber to insulate them against the cold ||  || The pups, called "yearlings" turn to the same color as their parents by their second year || California sea lions can swim up to 25 mph in short bursts ||   ||   || You can tell the difference between sea lions and seals because sea lions have visible external ear flaps and walk on their flippers while on land and seals have small ear holes and they crawl on their bellies on land ||   ||   ||   ||   || Thousands of sea lions congregate on crowded rookeries all at one time ||   ||
 * They see much better underwater, on land they are somewhat nearsighted ||  ||   || They often dive to depths of 360 feet, with recorded maximum dives reaching 800 feet ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * California sea lions are polygamous ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||



=Interview with Mr.Sea Lion Live!=

My Interview with Mr. Sea Lion

Me-How was the flight over here. Mr. sea lion-It was really cool. Me-OK Ive got some questions for you. Mr. sea lion-OK. Me-What is your favorite food? Mr. sea lion-I love to eat squid and fish. Me-Cool, now what is your type of sea lion? Mr. sea lion-My type of sea lion is a California sea lion? Me-Very cool. Mr. sea lion-Thank you for having me here. Me-Your welcome goodbye folks.

Dear Mr. Sea Lion, I hope you get this letter. I have asked you some questions. Thank-you for being my pen-pal. Please try to mail me back.

How are you?

What is your Favorite food?

What kind of sea lion are you?

Dear Mr. Monkey I am fine how are you. I love to eat squid and fish. I am a California sea lion. I love to go for a swim. My cousin is coming over today.