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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
sea lions & fur seals |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Pinnipedia |
| FAMILY: |
Otariidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
7 genera; 14 species |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Elongated, fusiform body with a small tail. The limbs are flattened and thick. Forelimbs are long and oar-like. Hind flippers can be rotated under the body allowing sea lions to stand on all four limbs. Possess small external pinnae. Their snouts are blunt and have numerous sensitive whiskers. Coloration is dark brown to yellowish. |
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| SIZE: |
Range in size from approximately 110-330 cm (3.6-10.8 ft.); males are much larger than females |
| MALE |
Male Stellar sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) are the largest otariids at 330 cm (10.8 ft.) |
| FEMALE |
Female Galapagos fur seals (Arcotcephalus galapagoensis) are smallest otariids at 110 cm (3.6 ft.) |
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| WEIGHT: |
21.5-1,000 kg (47-2,205 lb) |
| MALE |
Male Stellar sea lions are the largest, weighing 1,000 kg (2,205 lb.) |
| FEMALE |
Female Galapagos fur seals are the smallest, weighing 21.5 kg (47 lb.) |
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| DIET: |
Generally various fish species and invertebrates |
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| GESTATION: |
10-12 months including period of delayed implantation |
| NURSING
DURATION |
3-36 months |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Varies by species |
| MALE |
Generally 4-6 years |
| FEMALE |
Generally 4 years |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Typically ranges from 15-25 years; rarely exceeds 30 years |
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| RANGE: |
Coast of northeastern Asia, western North America, South AMerica, southern Africa, southern Australia, New Zealand and many southern islands |
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| HABITAT: |
Prefer coastal areas with shallow waters near abundant food sources |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Varies by species |
| REGIONAL |
Varies by species |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Vulnerable: Steller sea lion, Hooker's sea lion, Guadeloupe fur seal, Juan Fernandez fur seal |
| Rare: Australian sea lion |
| Insufficient Data: all other species |
| CITES |
Appendix I: Guadeloupe fur seal |
| Appendix II: all other fur seal species |
| Not listed: sea lions |
| USFWS |
Endangered: Guadeloupe fur seal, Steller sea lion (in western portion of range) |
| Threatened: Steller sea lion (in eastern portion of range) |
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| 1. |
Otariids are highly social, especially during the breeding season when hundreds will gather in large aggregations on land. |
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| 2. |
Males arrive at the breeding grounds first and establish territories. As the females arrive, the males compete to acquire a harem of as many as 50 females. Territorial behavior is intense with males maintaining their boundaries by incessant barking, chest to chest pushing, grappling, lunging and biting. |
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| 3. |
Sea lions often "porpoise" or leap out of the water while swimming and re-entering headfirst. They also float at the surface with one or more flippers raised out of the water. It is believed that this behavior prevents them from losing too much body heat in the water. |
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| 4. |
Otariids are highly vocal including barks, growls and grunts. |
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All otariids have been affected to some degree by human activities. Some populations have been severely impacted; others, owing to remoteness of their ranges, have hardly been affected. Most species have been hunted at some point by humans for their meat, oil, hides, and other raw materials. Some fur seal populations have been devastated by unregulated, large-scale, commercial hunting for their fur.
Competition with the fishing industry also occurs. In some areas, this has resulted in bounties and organized culls.
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| Byrum, J. Pinnipeds From Pole to Pole: Seals, Sea Lions and Walruses. SeaWorld Education Department, 2000. |
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| Nowak, Ronald M. (ed.). Walkers Mammals of the World. Vol. II. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999. |
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