Sea Lions: Nature's Playful Aquatic Land Mammals

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Sea Lions: Nature's Playful Aquatic Land Mammals

Introduction

Sea lions may look like sea creatures, but they also behave like terrestrial animals. Unlike whales, mammals that spend their entire lives in water, sea lions inhabit both the water and land throughout their lives. This aquatic land animal prefers the water for food, fun, and safety; while preferring the land for socializing, territory, and procreation. Being mammals, they share many behaviors common to humans and other mammals. Like mammals, they are born with the ability to walk on land shortly after birth. Surprisingly, they are not born with the ability to swim from birth, but need to be taught by their mothers. Like other mammals, they love to stay in social groups. During their reproductive season, females are dominated by aggressive males, that establish harems on the beaches. The relationship between females and their pups is characterized by affection, protection, nourishment, and instruction. In contrast to their limited terrestrial mobility, they can swim much better than they can walk. Unlike other land mammals, they have the ability to sleep in water . The most interesting thing is that they can sleep in water by using one part of their brain, while the other part of their brain is asleep ("Birds sleep with one eye open, half awake, study finds"). Clearly, sea lions have adapted well to a both an aquatic and land life.

Sea lions are parts of the seal family and in the class of Pinnipedia ("Sea lion"). They have external ear flaps and well-developed foreflippers and hind flippers ("Sea lion"). Their predators include killer whales, sharks and humans ("Sea lion"). Sea lions have several types such as Zolophous, Steller, etc. Stellar sea lions are t...

... middle of paper ...

...nd more than in the sea.

Unfortunately, some species of sea lions are declining and may become extinct so that it is time to save them by enacting laws for protecting them and encouraging people not to kill them for commercial reasons.

"Birds Sleep with One Eye Open, Half Awake, Study Finds." {CNN} 5 Feb. 1999.

Bruemmer, Fred. "My Life Among Wild Pinnipeds." {International Wildlife} July-Aug. 1996: 10-12.

Peterson, Richard S., and George A. Bartholomew. {The Natural History and Behavior of the California Sea Lion}. Los Angeles: American Society of Mammalogists, 1967.

"Sea Lion." {Www.nhgs.tec.va.us/ptoption/sealion.html} (1999)

"Sea Lion: Bark Is Worse Than His Bite." {Wysiwyg://104/http://www.letsfindout.com} (1999)

"A Seal's-Eye View of Undersea Hunt." {MSNBC} 11 Feb. 1999.

"Steller Sea Lion Distribution." {US Department of Commerce} (1999)

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