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sea lion

 
Dictionary: sea lion
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n.
Any of several large-eared seals with relatively long neck and limbs, especially Zalophus californianus, of the northern Pacific.


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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: sea lion
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Any of five species (family Otariidae) of eared seals found along coasts on both sides of the Pacific, from Alaska to Australia. Sea lions have short, coarse hair that lacks a distinct undercoat. The males of all but the California sea lion have a mane. Sea lions feed principally on fish, squid, and octopus. They breed in large herds; males establish a harem of 3 – 20 females. The California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) is the trained seal of circuses and zoos. Males of the various species range from 8 to 11 ft (2.5 – 3.3 m) long and weigh 600 – 2,200 lbs (270 – 1,000 kg).

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Columbia Encyclopedia: sea lion
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sea lion, fin-footed marine mammal of the eared seal family (Otariidae). Like the other member of this family, the fur seal, the sea lion is distinguished from the true seal by its external ears, long, flexible neck, supple forelimbs, and hind flippers that can be turned forward for walking on land. It differs from the fur seal in having a thin coat of short, coarse hair rather than soft, thick fur. Sea lions swim by rowing movements of the forelimbs, with the hindlimbs stretched out behind the body as a rudder. They feed primarily on fish and squid and are known to dive as deep as 600 ft (180 m) for food. They are found in the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere and in the N Pacific Ocean. When not breeding they inhabit waters close to shore, sometimes coming ashore to rest on rocky beaches and islands. Occasionally they ascend rivers. Their seasonal movements vary from one population to another and are not entirely known; they do not, however, undertake migrations comparable in length to those of the fur seal. During the breeding season they gather in colonies on the shore; the males establish territories and assemble harems, usually numbering 10 to 15 females. Females are considerably smaller than males, usually weighing about half as much. The small, dark brown California sea lion, Zalophus californianus, the so-called performing seal of circuses, is playful even in its natural environment. It is found on the Pacific coast of North America from Washington to S Mexico, on the Galapagos Islands, and in the Sea of Japan. Males may reach a length of 8 ft (2.4 m) and weigh up to 500 lb (225 kg). The northern, or Stellar's, sea lion, Eumetopias jubatus, is one of the largest of the pinnipeds, exceeded in size only by the elephant seal and the walrus. Males may grow up to 13 ft (4.9 m) long and weigh as much as 1,800 lb (820 kg); their fur is tawny brown. This species is found around the Bering Sea, on the Aleutian Islands, and down the Asian coast to N Japan and the American coast to S California. The South American sea lion, Otaria byronia, is found on the Pacific coast and S Atlantic coast of South America, and the Falkland Islands. The Australian sea lion, Neophoca cinerea, is found off S Australia; Hooker's sea lion, Phocarctos hookeri, lives on subantarctic islands of New Zealand. Sea lions have been hunted for blubber and hide and have also been killed in large numbers because fishermen blamed them for robbing their nets. There is now very little hunting of sea lions and the northern sea lion is under government protection. Sea lions are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Carnivora, suborder Pinnipedia, family Otariidae.

WordNet: sea lion
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: any of several large eared seals of the north Pacific related to fur seals but lacking their valuable coat

Wikipedia: Sea lion
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Sea lion is a common name that does not correspond to a single taxonomic unit. For a more comprehensive discussion of all eared seals, including the fur seals, see Otariid.
For other uses, see Sea lion (disambiguation).
Sea lion
A sea lion in Monterey, California
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Pinnipedia
Family: Otariidae
in part
Genera

Eumetopias
Zalophus
Otaria
Neophoca
Phocarctos

Sea lions are any of seven species in seven genera of modern pinnipeds including one extinct species (the Japanese sea lion). Sea lions are characterized by the presence of external ear pinnae (ear-flaps), long front flippers, and the ability to walk on all four flippers on land. Their range extends from the subarctic to tropical waters of the global ocean in both the northern and southern hemispheres with the notable exception of the Atlantic Ocean.[1]

Contents

Taxonomy

Sea lions haul out on a rock off the coast of Raspberry Island (Alaska).
Sea lions

Together with the fur seals, they comprise the Otariidae family, collectively known as eared seals. Until recently, sea lions were grouped under a single subfamily called Otariinae to distinguish them from the fur seals Arcocephalinae, based on the most prominent common feature between all species, namely the lack of the dense underfur characteristic of the latter. Recent genetic evidence, however, strongly suggests that Callorhinus, the genus of the Northern fur seal is more closely related to some sea lion species than to the other fur seal genus Arctocephalus.[2] Therefore the fur seal/sealion subfamily distinction has been largely eliminated. Nonetheless, all sea lions have certain features in common, in particular their coarse, short fur, greater bulk and larger prey than fur seals.

Interactions with humans

Some species of sea lion are readily trainable and are often a popular attraction at zoos and aquariums. The archetypal circus seal performing behaviors such as throwing and catching balls on its nose and clapping is almost always a sea lion.

The government of Japan has set a quota of 116 kills per year in Hokkaido,[citation needed] as sea lions are seen as a threat to commercial fisheries. International environmentalists[which?] and local fishery advocates[who?] continue to debate the issue.

Sea lions have been trained by the U.S. Navy's Marine Mammal Program, based in San Diego, to detain scuba divers.[3]

Sea lion attacks on humans are rare. In a highly unusual attack in 2007 in Western Australia a sea lion leapt from the water and seriously mauled a 13-year old girl surfing behind a speedboat. The sea lion appeared to be preparing for a second attack when the girl was rescued. An Australian marine biologist opinioned the sea lion may have viewed the girl "like a rag doll toy" to be played with.[4][5][6] In San Francisco where an increasingly large population of California sea lion crowds dock along San Francisco Bay, there have been incidents in recent years of swimmers being bitten on the leg by large aggressive males, possibly as a territorial act.[7][8][9]

The Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped the sea and its animals. They often depicted sea lions in their art.[10]

Species

Hybrid

A probable hybrid sea lion from a cross between the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) and the South American sea lion (Otaria byronia) was reported in a 2002 issue of the Journal of Mammology, according to the French National Center for Scientific Research.[11]

Images

Zalophus californianus at Moss Landing 3.jpg Cal Sea Lions on Pier 39.JPG GiGi sea lion 1984.jpg Sea lion head.jpg
Sea lions at Moss Landing, California. Hundreds of California Sea Lions sunbathing on Pier 39 in San Francisco in the United States. GiGi, a sea lion trained by the U.S. Navy for underwater recovery, nuzzles merchant mariner Capt. Arne Willehag of the USNS Sioux during a 1983 training session. A sea lion at the Memphis zoo.

See also

References

  1. ^ "ANIMAL BYTES - Sea Lions & Fur Seals". http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/Animal-Bytes/animalia/eumetazoa/coelomates/deuterostomes/chordata/craniata/mammalia/pinnipedia/sea-lions-&-fur-seals.htm. Retrieved 2007-07-21. 
  2. ^ Wynen, L.P. et al. (2001) Phylogenetic relationships within the eared seals (Otariidae: Carnivora): implications for the historical biogeography of the family. Mol. Phylog. Evol. 21, 270–284
  3. ^ Watkins, Thomas (2007-02-12). "Navy may deploy anti-terrorism dolphins". Associated Press. http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/archive/Navy_Trains_Marine_Mammals_to_Track_Threats_All__National_.html. Retrieved 2007-02-12. 
  4. ^ BBC News: Sea lion attacks Australian girl
  5. ^ news.com.au: Monster sea lion likely to be 'playing' with teen
  6. ^ Sea lion mauls girl
  7. ^ [1]
  8. ^ [2]
  9. ^ http://www.sfweekly.com/2009-10-07/news/too-cute-to-shoot/
  10. ^ Berrin, Katherine & Larco Museum. The Spirit of Ancient Peru:Treasures from the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1997.
  11. ^ [3]

External links

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sea lion".  Read more