{"id":82,"date":"2019-03-12T23:10:32","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T23:10:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.forsea.org\/n3-sealions\/"},"modified":"2020-12-08T20:52:49","modified_gmt":"2020-12-08T20:52:49","slug":"n3-sealions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.forsea.org\/n3-sealions\/","title":{"rendered":"Sea Lions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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by Nathaniel Buechler<\/font><\/p>\n

SEA
\nLIONS <\/font><\/p>\n

What?<\/b>

\nSea lions are categorized into the suborder Pinnipedia in the family Otariidae.
\nThe seal and the walrus share this order also. Pinnipeds range in size from
\n140 lbs (the Baikal seals) to 8,000 lbs (the Elephant seal)! Sea lions are
\nalso sometimes referred to as eared seals or fin seals. This is because
\nsea lions have much more fur then seals and have earflaps, where the seal
\nhas only ear holes without flaps. The seal has shorter fins and hind flippers
\ntoo. Seals cannot use their front flippers to help them walk because of
\nthe flipper size. The sea lion, however, can walk on land easily because
\nof its large fins.<\/font><\/p>\n

Food!<\/b>

\nPinnipeds are carnivores. Most of the sea lion’s diet is made up of fish.
\nHunting by night, the sea lion usually grabs it’s prey and swallows it whole!
\nThey do not use their nose much, and use their senses of sight and hearing
\nto find food. Like cats, they also use their vibrissae, or whiskers to feel
\nwhere shellfish may be lying.<\/font><\/p>\n

Predators!<\/b>

\nThe sea lion’s main predators are sharks, orca whales and humans. Most attacks
\non people by sharks have been an incident when the shark has mistaken a
\nperson for a seal or sea lion. (This happens most often when the person
\nis on a surfboard, because the outline makes them look like a pinniped.)<\/font><\/p>\n

Senses!<\/b>

\nSmell: Sea lions are not able to smell underwater, but their sense of smell
\non dry land is amazing. Female sea lions use smell to tell which pups are
\ntheirs, and males use smell for mating purposes.

\nSight: Sea lions may not be able to see in color. We are not sure about
\nthat. Perhaps they can see shades of blue and green, the way that dogs see
\nblack, white and gray, but nobody knows for sure. In their eyes, they have
\na tapetum lucidum, which is what cats have that make their eyes glow at
\nnight. Having this increases the sea lion’s ability to see well in the dark.
\nWhen they come out of the water, a thin sheet covers their eyes to protect
\nthem from sand and debris.

\n<\/font><\/p>\n

Taste! <\/b>

\nSea lions do not have a very good sense of taste. They are close to being
\nable to taste nothing, so they could be eating anything at all, just so
\nlong as it smells good.<\/font><\/p>\n

Sleep! <\/b>

\nOn land, sea lions sleep like we do at West Sound Academy in the couch corner,
\noften lying on top of their friends. If they are in shallow enough water,
\nthey will sleep under the surface and occasionally come up for air. When
\nthey are out in deep water, they sleep on the surface with their nose pointing
\ntowards the sky.<\/font><\/p>\n

Air! <\/b>

\nSea lions have the ability to stay underwater for an average of eight to
\ntwenty minutes! This is because they have a better tolerance for carbon
\ndioxide than we do. Also, oxygen collects in their heart instead of to less
\nvital organs like the air we breathe does. Believe it or not, sea lion’s
\nnostrils are closed when they are relaxed, and the sea lion has to use special
\nmuscles to open them and breathe.<\/font><\/p>\n

Where? <\/b>

\nSea lions live mostly in shallow, very cold water, but are spread throughout
\nthe world. Only a few ever enter fresh water.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

More information:<\/b><\/font><\/p>\n