Sea LionBy: Mitchell Davis

I am Mitchell Davis and in my power point I will educate you on the marine mammal, the sea lion. 'Sea lions are sea mammals. Characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short, thick hair. Together with the fur seals, they comprise the family Otariidae, eared seals and there are six extant and one extinct species (the Japanese sea lion) in five genera. 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 northern Atlantic Ocean. They have an average life span of 20–30 years

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum:Vertebrata Class:Mammalia Order: Carnivora Suborder: Caniformia Superfamily: Pinnipedia Family: Otariidae Subfamily: Otariinae

Classification

Morphology

Sea Lions use both front and back flippers to walk or run on land

Sea Lion's rear flippers can be moved forward so they can move on land

The front flippers can rotate backwards to support their weight, which allows Sea Lions to lift their necks upright

Adult males grow to be much larger than females

Biology

California Sea Lions are a major example the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) is a

coastal eared seal native to western North America. It is one of five species of sea lion. Its natural habitat ranges from southeast Alaska to central Mexico, including the Gulf of California. Sea lions are sexually dimorphic, males are larger than females, and have a thicker neck and protruding crest. They mainly haul-out on sandy or rocky beaches, but they also frequent manmade environments such as marinas and wharves. Sea lions feed on a number of species of fish and squid, and are preyed on by killer whales and white sharks.

Major Examples

Distribution

Sea Lions have external ear flaps, which Seals do not have. This gives Sea Lions a little bit better sense of hearing

Males have external tactical unlike Seals Sea Lions have a streamline shape, which makes them quick in the

water Sea Lions are clever animals which allows them to figure things out Sea Lions have figured out ways to skim among the bottom of the

ocean and disturb fish trying to hide To avoid Predators Sea Lions will swim in-between rocks to get

away from their larger predators Males have a higher mortality rate than females. By ten years of

age, there is a 3:1 ratio of females to males. It is difficult to study Steller sea lions in the wild, because Steller

sea lions are extremely skittish, especially in the winter. Stones are commonly found in Steller sea lions' stomachs from

pebbles to stones up to 12 cm in diameter! Scientists are not certain if these rocks are swallowed by accident or if they serve a useful function. It is speculated that they might help grind up fish, or act as a ballast when diving, or might help ward off hunger pangs when the animals are fasting on shore.

The deepest dive recorded for a Steller sea lion was 424 m.

Cool Facts

Sea Lion poo may be an important addition to the health of marine ecosystems, according to new research. The bacteria in an Australian sea lion's gut keep essential nutrients where they're most needed in the marine ecosystem, South Australian scientists say.Researchers from Flinders University in Adelaide studied the bacterial profile of sea lion guts by looking at the entire suite of genes, known as the microbiome. They found the guts contained high numbers of bacteria able to metabolise iron and phosphorus, important elements for growth of the first tier in the marine food chain - phytoplankton.

Hunted for hide and food

Importance

http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/sea-lion-poo-important-for-ocean-health.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_sea_lion

http://w3.shorecrest.org/~Lisa_Peck/MarineBio/syllabus/ch9vertebrates/mammals/mammalwp/class_of_2005/john1/adapt.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_lion

Links