Sea Lion

Pinnipeds known as Sea Lions have large chests and bellies, external ear flaps, lengthy fore flippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short, dense hair. They make up the family Otariidae, or eared seals, along with fur seals. There are five genera and six living species of sea lions, including one extinct species (the Japanese sea lion). With the remarkable exception of the northern Atlantic Ocean, their distribution spans the subarctic to tropical seas of the entire world's oceans in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. They often live for 20 to 30 years. A male California sea lion weighs on average about 300 kg (660 lb) and is about 2.4 m (8 ft) long, while the female sea lion weighs 100 kg (220 lb) and is 1.8 m (6 ft) long. The largest sea lions are Steller's sea lions, which can weigh 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) and grow to a length of 3.0 m (10 ft).

For sea lions, sunbathing is a serious business. They gather in sizable colonies around the Pacific coast, where they spend a lot of time noisy bickering about the finest places to sun themselves. If you're lucky, you could observe them floating on their sides with one flipper up, the light warming their bodies as the blood runs through them.