In scientific classification of sea lions belong to the family Eared seals.But their appearance and way of life, they are significantly different from their closest relatives.That is from the elephant seals and fur seals.Who are they - these carnivorous mammals?What unites inhabitants of the ocean with the big cats, leading in savannas?The answer to this question is quite simple: in sexually mature males the fur on the collar longer than the rest of the body, why there is a vague resemblance to the African mane predator.It is believed that sea lions are found only in the Southern Hemisphere.They are there, there are three kinds - for habitats: Australian, New Zealand and south, occurring off the coast of Africa and Latin America.But north of the equator such animals are also common.It is a lion, and California sea lions.And if the first view is not much different from their southern counterparts (because living in the subtropics, and he had no reason to accumulate fat reserves), the sea lion took a vital niche in a rather high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.He lives in Russia in the Kuril Islands in the Sea of Okhotsk, Kamchatka, Sakhalin.It can also be found on the Commander and Aleutian Islands, Alaska and the coast of North America down to California.
Sea lions unlike other seals - a surprisingly graceful creatures.Even on land, they are quite active and deftly move, and in the water and do miracles show circus acrobatics.The skin of brown, with fairly short fur.This unattractive coat and scarce type of fat sea lions rescued from destruction by people.Hunting them is not so profitable, as seals and other seals, while in Japan was completely destroyed by endemic species of these animals.Streamlined body, strong fins, flattened a small head with small, slightly convex beautiful eyes allow the lion to dive to a depth of 90 meters and chase shoals of fish at high speed.
These animals can spend days in the open sea.However, the sea lions do not like long migrations.We can say that it is sedentary animals, not far from a beach at a distance of more than 25 km.They hunt for fish, crustaceans, mollusks.In turn, sea lions and killer whales fall prey to white sharks.They settle in colonies, but not as many as other eared seals.Males them as more peaceful - all fighting for the harem being, as a rule, "first blood".Females exhibit aggression only in the first days after birth.Young animals have a golden fur and fed breast milk up to six months.Females become sexually mature in the third year of life, and males - in the fifth.But only seven years acquires lion mane and can defend his harem.Sea Lion (photo of it here) is much larger than his girlfriend graceful 300 kilograms of live weight against some 90 kg of ladies.
These animals are extremely well developed mental activity.They are intelligent, creative, well tamed and well trainable.That, and the inherent agility and grace, make them permanent actors in aquariums and dolphinariums.Therefore, most of us since childhood knows what it looks like a sea lion.And in terms of ease of life flock of seals flee from their natural enemies - sharks and killer whales - that keep close to the people, render habitable pier, ports and even navigational buoys.
