California Sea Lion Female Skull
$240.00
The California Sea Lion is found along the Pacific coast of North America from British Columbia to Mexico. Sea lions are carnivores feeding on various fish, squid, crustaceans and octopus.
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Description
California Sea Lion Female Skull Replica measures 8.9 inches. California Sea Lion Female Skull replica is museum quality polyurethane resin cast. Made in USA. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home décor skull, or office décor skull.
Zalophus californianus is a coastal eared seal native to western North America. It is one of five species of sea lions. Its natural habitat ranges from southeast Alaska to central Mexico, including the Gulf of California.
California Sea lion males are larger than females, and have a thicker neck and protruding crest. California sea lions differ in size, shape, and coloration between the sexes. Males are typically around 7.9 ft. long and weigh up 770 lbs. while females are typically around 5.9 ft. and weigh up to 220 lb.
Females and juveniles have a tawny brown fur although they may be temporarily light gray or silver after molting. The fur of adult males can be anywhere from light brown to black, but is typically dark brown.
The face of adult males may also be light tan in some areas. Pups have a black or dark brown fur at birth. Although the species has a slender build, adult males have robust necks, chests, and shoulders.
Adult males also have a protruding crest which gives them a “high, domed forehead”; it is tufted with white hairs.
California sea lions or Zalophus californianus feed on a wide variety of seafood, mainly squid and fish, and sometimes clams. Commonly eaten fish and squid species include salmon, hake, Pacific whiting, anchovy, herring, rockfish, lamprey, dogfish, and market squid.
They mostly forage near mainland coastlines, the continental shelf, and seamounts. California sea lions may eat alone or in small to large groups, depending on the amount of food available. They sometimes cooperate with other predators, such as dolphins, porpoises, and seabirds, when hunting large schools of fish.
California Sea lions or Zalophus californianus sometimes follow dolphins and exploit their hunting efforts. Adult females feed between 6.2 to 62.1 miles from shore. Males may forage as far as 280 miles from shore when water temperatures rise.
They also have learned to feed on steelhead and salmon below fish ladders at Bonneville Dam and at other locations where fish must queue in order to pass through dams and locks that block their passage.
California Sea lions or Zalophus californianus are preyed on by killer whales and large sharks. At Monterey Bay, California sea lions appear to be the more common food items for transient mammal-eating killer whale pods.
The Sea lions may respond to the dorsal fin of a killer whale and remain vigilant, even when encountering resident fish-eating pods.
California Sea lions or Zalophus californianus are also common prey for white sharks. They have been found with scars made by attacks from both white sharks and Shortfin Mako sharks.
California Sea Lion Facts:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Clade: Pinnipedia
Family: Otariidae
Genus: Zalophus
Species: Z. californianus
Binomial name: Zalophus californianus
Conservation status: Least concern
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Additional information
Weight | 4.3 lbs |
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Dimensions | 8.9 in |
International Sea Lion Day - May 30th | World Sea Lion Day is celebrated on May 30th. Together with fur seals, sea lions belong to the family Otariidae, characterized by external ear flaps. They are principally found in large colonies on rocky and sandy shores in Pacific waters. The largest kind is the Steller's sea lion, which can weigh up to 1,000 kg! As they rely on water to feed and cool off, sea lions are vulnerable to the effects of climate change and ocean currents, affecting prey abundance. Besides, they are also victims of bycatch in fisheries. As a result, three species are considered endangered: the Australian sea lion, Galápagos sea lion, and New Zealand sea lion. |