Males 5 years and older develop a bony bump on top of their skull called a sagittal crest. Swim with their front flippers. At nighttime they hunt within several miles of shore for fish, crabs, squid and octopus. They are dark grey immediately after moulting, fading through the year to a rusty greyish brown. Adult males establish and defend breeding territories and form harems. Gestation can be preceded by up to 3 months of delayed implantation. Steller sea lions have golden-colored fur with darker extremities, and instead of the "bark" of the California sea lion, Stellers vocalize by growling or "bellowing". New Zealand examples include the leopard seal and southern elephant seal. Docents and the information they share will enrich your viewing experience. They have no external ear flaps, just ear holes. Female seals mature at 3-4 years. The two species might be confused with one another because they share many physical characteristics. Adult male Stellers have a bulky build and a very thick neck with longer fur that resembles a lion's mane. At the rookery the male tries to attract as many females as possible to his harem. Another seal that many people think of is the leopard seal. Breeding age females remain near the rookeries all year and give birth in June or July. First thing's first: To see the elephant seals at San Simeon, you have to know just where to go. Mike Baird . They spend 80% of their life at sea foraging, only coming ashore to molt (shed hair and skin) and to mate for adults, or to rest for subadults. Fatalities can also be due to malnutrition, domoic acid poisoning (caused by a harmful algal bloom), cancer, entanglement in fishing debris and even gunshot wounds. The length of the intestine may be an adaptation to frequent deep diving, as the increased volume of the digestive tract serves as an extended storage compartment for … The most notable anatomical differences are the ears and the flippers. When it comes to scratching, it's the opposite, true seals use their fore flippers while sea lions use their rear flippers. See more ideas about elephant seal, elephant, sea lion. Fur seals, actually in the sea lion group, having extremely long hind flippers. 95531. Elephant seals, on the other hand, are uniformly tan colored all over, and seen only rarely within the parks. Males remain there for about one month and then return to California and as far north as British Columbia. Adult males are significantly larger than females. Leopard seals are the third largest seal in the world Female leopard seals, the larger of the two sexes, can grow up to 590 kg (1,300 pounds) and 3.8m meters (10 feet) long. The occasional sightings at Point Lobos might include a recently weaned pup who hasnât learned to successfully forage and is suffering from malnutrition. Small intestine lengths range from 8 times (California sea lion) to 25 times (elephant seal) the body length. The average length is 5 - 6 feet. When not congregating together to rest, they can be seen swimming past the shoreline, sometimes jumping out of the water as they move along. Seals and sea lions are marine mammals called pinnipeds that differ in physical characteristics and adaptations. When seals and sea lions share our shores, we need to give them space, especially mothers with pups. The Phocidae, or family group to which the true seals belong, are believed to have descended from a terrestrial weasel-like ancestor, while the Otariidae, or sea lion family group, are thought to have descended from a terrestrial bear-like ancestor. The southern elephant seal is a true seal and is the largest pinniped (seal or sea lion) and carnivoran (hairy carnivore) in the world. Though their bodies can appear chubby, seals are generally smaller and more aquadynamic than sea lions. Pinnipeds divide their time between near shore terrestrial habitats and the ocean. Look for the blue jackets to find a docent. They are graceful, curious and speedy swimmers, propelled by the webbed hind flipper. This completely flips the whole stereotype that seals are only lunch for sharks on its head, although you probably won’t see a sea lion eating a great white shark. Harbor seals come in a variety of colors from almost pure white to mottled gray or brown, but usually some form of color patterning is visible. Elephant seals spend up to 80% of their lives in the ocean. They have spotted coats in a variety of shades from white or silver-gray to dark brown. Adult males are enormous – at least six times larger than polar bears and nearly twice the size of the next largest seal (the northern elephant seal). Hauling out to rest and sleep is an important part of a sealâs routine. Sea Lion Island is the most southerly inhabited island in the Falkland archipelago at 52.43 south and 59.1 west. Fur seals are occasionally seen off the RNSP coastline farther out to sea, however, they do not come ashore here, and breed in the far northern Pacific. The average depth of their dives is about 300 to 600 m (1,000 to 2,000 ft), typically for around 20 minutes for females and 60 … The smaller females can grow to nine feet and weigh 1,000 pounds. Females can reach 220 pounds and about 6 feet in length. They often float together on the waterâs surface in rafts with one or both flippers raised out of the water. You can view this natural wonder in April and May at two primary locations within Point Lobos - Whalers Cove beach and China Cove beach. The name âPoint Lobosâ is derived from what the Spanish explorers called this area - âPunta de los Lobos Marinos" which means the "point of the sea wolves.â Since sea lions bark while on land and offshore rocks, their barking was probably an aid to navigation for the first explorers, warning them of rocks in the fog. All together the Sea Lion Island population seems to be pretty healthy. Pups are nursed on momâs rich milk and double their weight before weaning at approximately 4 weeks. This causes differences between the two in locomotion when on land: seals move forward by caterpillar-like hitching movements; sea lions use their hind legs to walk or even gallop across land. Seals and sea lions share adaptations for living in the sea—including blubber, flippers, and streamlined bodies. This is the southernmost breeding area for the species. When comparing a sea lion vs. seal you can spot the difference a few ways, one of which is the lack or presence of an ear. Both have ear flaps and both are noisy, although an experienced listener can distinguish between the two âlanguages.â Searching from Sea Lion Point for a Steller requires binoculars in order to see the distinction between the two species. Sea Lion Point Trail offers a direct view to the Sea Lion Rocks offshore. 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