Sealions: bulls and babies

Just as I had thought all dolphins were the same, so had I all sea lions. Again, not so. The familiar California Sealion is Zalophus californianus. Males can grow up to 2.7 m (8.9 ft) long, while females are typically around 2.1 m (6.9 ft).

But in Chile, we saw the unrelated South American sea lion, Otaria flavescens, whose males are slightly bigger than the Californian ones, measuring up to 3 m (9.8 ft) in length with a weight of 350 kg (770 lb) while females are fractionally smaller, at 2 m (6 ft 7 in). So the size disparity is huge; this group are hanging out next to a salmon farm; look at the huge bull on the left:

Their more natural homes are rocky shorelines, often pretty steep:

The dominant male claims the highest spot, where any pups will be safest from predators (like orcas):

Their huge bulk makes getting down a rock face quite tricky:

This bull was heading for the water, but he got briefly waylaid by a group of females. Eventually, he made it, as the video below shows:

This was the start of the breeding season, and dominant males establish a harem of females. The group still had last year’s pups:

Not yet fully grown, but ready to forage. They waited for the big bull to go in, then followed:

There is lots of socializing in these groups:

The socializing extends to decisions to go for a swim, caught on video:

Pups are born 0.86 m (2 ft 10 in) long, and black. They lighten as they grow. They first enter the water at about four weeks old, and stay with the mother for a year. This one was not sure about going in, so its mother gently encouraged it:

then followed once she could see it was safely launched:

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They bob around, very curious about us:

A brief video gives you the flavor:

Back on shore, the sea lions share the rocks with turkey vultures, which may eat the seal poop, scavenge, and but also attack newborn pups, so they are watched closely by the sea lions:

To end, a few closeups:

And finally one emulating the performing sea lions at the New England Aquarium that my kids used to like, but this time a wild one on a float in a mussel farm: