Where are they found?
California Sea Lions are found along the coasts of Southern California and Baja California. As they spend their time in water they can travel great distances. They do, of course, spend some time on coastal land too. California Sea Lions inhabit rocky and sandy beaches of coastal islands and mainland shorelines. On land, they gather in large groups called colonies. In water, California Sea Lions form smaller groups called rafts.

What are they?
They are an aquatic mammal.

What do they look like?
New-borns are about 80 cm (2.6 ft), adult males are 2-2.5m (6.5-8.2 ft), and adult females are 1.5-2m (5-6.6 ft.). The new-born pups weigh 6-9 kg (13.2-19.8 lb.), adult males weigh 200-400 kg (441-882 lb.), and adult females weigh 50-110 kg (110-243 lb.). Sea Lions are adapted for movement on land as well as in the water. Their front flippers have a bone structure similar to that in our arms and hands. Swimming with these flippers propels the Sea Lion forward, while the hind flippers steer, a bit like a boat. They use both sets of flippers to walk on land.

How long do they live? The life span of a Sea Lion is generally expected to be 25 years. What do they eat? Their main foodstuff is fish. Are they rare? No. There are good numbers of these Sea Lions. Breeding Female reaches sexual maturity at four to five years.

Did you know?
When the mother Sea Lion returns from catching fish, she emits a loud trumpeting noise to which her pup responds. This exchange continues until mother and pup find each other. She makes her final identification by smelling her own pup.

Sea Lions' loud roars help explain why they are named after lions that live on land. Male sea lions of some species even grow a thick mane around their neck.