MARINE MUSINGS

from Compass Magazine Vancouver Island Issue #26 February / March 2020

by Compass Magazine Vancouver Island

NATUROPATHIC INSPIRATIONS

Marine Musings THE STELLER SEA LION

Photos © Bud Logan

Bud Logan

My favorite of all the marine animals has to be the Sea Lion. There are seven species of Sea Lions in the world, but only two that live in the waters that surround Vancouver Island, the Steller Sea Lion and the California Sea Lion.

Sea Lions are very interesting animals that can grow to be extremely large. Pups only weigh about 6 kg and are about 75 cm long when born. Full-grown bulls can reach up to 400 kg, with a length of up to 2.5 meters, with males generally larger than females. They are found in bodies of water all over the world, except the Atlantic Ocean. Many researchers find this very interesting, yet they can’t pinpoint reasons why this is the case. The temperatures are compatible with where some Sea Lions live. There is also plenty of the food that they consume found there. Sea Lions can swim in a burst of up to 40 km but generally cruise at approximately 15 km. They gain speed by porpoising, gliding on the water's surface to minimize resistance. Surfing in front of waves or large whales seems to be a fun activity for Sea Lions. Sea Lions have often been called the “Angels of the Sea” due to the unique way that they swim. Sea Lions will use their hind flippers to steer and swim using their front flippers. The average life span of a sea-lion is around 20 years, although some have been recorded to live into their 30s.

Sea Lions feed on a variety of organisms such as herring, salmon, rock-fish, hake, squid and octopus. Wild Sea Lions often feed cooperatively, eating 5 - 8% of their body weight each day, which is up to 16 kg of food. Sea Lions have up to 38 teeth that are designed for grasping onto fish.

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