California Sea Lion
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[Photo] Photographed by and copyright of (c) David Corby (User:Miskatonic, uploader) 2006

The California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus) is a coastal sea lion of the northern Pacific Ocean. Males grow to 300 kg (600 lb) and 2.4 m (8 ft) long, while females are significantly smaller, to 100 kg (200 lb) and 2 m (6.5 ft) long.

The California Sea Lion has a streamlined body that contains a layer of blubber under the skin to provide warmth and buoyancy. Their large eyes help them adjust to low levels of light in underwater environments, while their whiskers augment their sense of touch. Their nostrils automatically close once they hit the water. Their long front flippers rotate outward for better movement on land, and propel them forward in water, where they are most at home. Males grow a large crest of bone on the top of their heads as they reach sexual maturity, and it is this that gives the animal its generic name (loph is "forehead" and za- is an emphatic; Zalophus californianus means "Californian big-head").

California Sea Lions feed on a wide-variety of seafood including fish, shellfish, and squid. They are highly sociable and gather in large numbers on beaches and coasts, though they are also often associated with marinas and wharves, and may even be seen on navigational buoys.

It usually breeds around May to June and females have a 12-month gestation period. The pup is usually born from June to August, and the mother may give birth on land or in water. California Sea Lions are the only mammals whose milk does not contain lactose.

There are three subspecies, sometimes considered full species in their own right:

Zalophus californianus californianus (California Sea Lion) is the nominate race, found primarily along the Pacific coast of North America.
Zalophus californianus wollebaeki (Galapagos Sea Lion).
Zalophus californianus japonicus (Japanese Sea Lion) which is now believed to be extinct.

Human interactions
California Sea Lions are intelligent and adaptable, and are often trained as entertainers at ocean parks and zoos as well as by researchers studying interspecies cooperation in the marine environment. They are also used in military applications as sentries, and for equipment recovery, by the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program.

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