Arctocephalus australis

IUCN

Alias：South American sea lion, southern sea lion, maned seal, South American fur seal

Basic Information

Scientific classification

name：Arctocephalus australis
Aliases：South American sea lion, southern sea lion, maned seal, South American fur seal
Outline：Carnivora
Family：Carnivora Pinnipedia Otariidae Arctocephalus

Vital signs

length：Males are 2-2.5 meters long, and females are 2 meters long on average.
Weight：Males weigh 200-350 kg; females weigh 140-150 kg
lifetime：16-20 year

Feature

The most lion-like sea lion

Details

There are about 14 species of sea lions in the world, of which the South American sea lion is the least known and the most bizarre. There are many new and interesting facts about South American sea lions, especially their "family marriage" life.

In the South American Sea Lion Palace, female South American sea lions generally will not leave and mess around after becoming the wives and concubines of the South American Sea Lion King. The owner will never allow them to find a "new love".

However, in many South American sea lion courts, there are indeed a few percent or a few thousandths of romantic wives and concubines who will do immoral things behind their "husbands' backs." According to scientists, a female South American sea lion named "Maria" secretly chose three single male South American sea lions as her undisclosed "lovers" in one day. Of course, once this immoral behavior is discovered by the South American sea lion king, the adulterer will either be sent to the "cold palace" or be executed immediately. It has become a "palace rule" and seems to be known to everyone in the South American sea lion kingdom.

During the breeding season, breeding groups will be attacked, mainly because other adult males try to mate with females in the group. This attack makes the group chaotic and often separates mothers from their children. Males in a group are unable to defeat all attackers and retain all females in a territory. However, young intruder males usually fail to capture a female. Sometimes, an intruder will take a pup to try to control a female. In this case, the pup is often injured or killed.

South American sea lions are intelligent jugglers who are trained to perform with their trainers.

South American sea lions are the most abundant marine mammal in southern South America. South American sea lions were culled in large numbers in the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, culling has decreased, the species is not endangered, and is protected in its range. The total population is estimated at 265,000, with increases in Argentina and Chile but decreases in the Falkland Islands and Uruguay. South American sea lions are still killed because they destroy fishing nets and eat fish. South American sea lions found in the port of Mar del Plata have toxic chemicals and heavy metals in their bodies.

According to the final assessment of the World Conservation Union on November 2, 2015, the current population of South American sea lions is 225,000 individuals.

Listed in the 2016 Red List of Endangered Species of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) ver 3.1 - Least Concern (LC).

Location

South American sea lions are found along the coastline and on small islands along the coast of South America. From northern Peru to southern Brazil, the main distribution areas include Lobos Island in Uruguay, Valdes Peninsula in Argentina, the Beagle Channel and the Falkland Islands. South American sea lions prefer to breed on sandy beaches, but can also breed on gravel or pebble beaches. They are also found living on flat cliffs with tide pools.

Form

The mouth of the South American sea lion is short and blunt, wide, high, and upturned. The lower jaw is high and wide. The neck is wide. The mane is upright, long and thin, distributed on the front of the head, eyes, lower jaw, nape of the neck and chest; the head is very large and the mane is dense, making them the most lion-like of the sea lions; the body color of males ranges from dark brown to orange-yellow and even quite light dark gray. The pups are black on the back and dark orange on the belly, gradually turning brown in about a month.
South American sea lions eat many kinds of fish, including Argentine snow fish and anchovies. They also eat cephalopods, including squid and octopus. They also prey on penguins and South American fur sea lion pups. South American sea lions usually hunt in shallow waters within 5 miles of the coast. They forage for slow-moving prey on the seabed, but also prey that move in groups. When they catch prey, they shake it violently and tear it apart.

Arctocephalus australis

Basic Information

Scientific classification

Vital signs

Feature

Details

Location

Form

FAQ

leopard cat

coatimundi

Wolverine

Liger

Jackal

jaguar

Wild Dogs

caiman