Sea lions play during bachelor's holiday

Island Wild Nov. 20, 2009

A colony of adult and sub-adult California sea lions (all males) with one larger, lighter Steller sea lion (male) in the middle. Photo Jim Dubois.

A California sea lion lying on its back with flippers in the air, a ritual called ‘finning’ that may help regulate body temperature. Photo Jim Dubois.

It was a dark and stormy night. The only sound louder than wind and rain was incessant barking of a California sea lion colony intent on keeping us awake. Last week, while staying ocean-side at Cowichan Bay, we learned how much noise these large sea mammals can make if they’re determined to prove their dominance.

Resort staff maintained it was a delightful sound, but assured us that these massive noise-makers would only be ‘in residence’ on their dock for a few more weeks. The sea lion males, they said, were ‘on vacation’ and far north of the female counterparts they’d left behind in California.

The next morning, all was forgiven when we opened the drapes to a majestic sight of these highly social animals floating together on the ocean's surface in ‘rafts’ as they waved their fins in the air as much to say: “Sorry for the racket during last night’s stag.”

Lisa Spaven is the marine mammal response coordinator at Nanaimo’s Pacific Biological Station (Fisheries and Oceans Canada). She explained that visiting California sea lion males visit Vancouver Island in late fall only to feed and compete, but will soon swim back to the females in California.

Only males migrate to British Columbia from California. Groups of these highly social mammals, called ‘colonies,’ often rest closely packed together on docks, floats or other haul-out sites on land. Renowned for their intelligence and playfulness, California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus) are (much to the regret of many) popular performers in zoos and aquariums. In British Columbia, this species is not currently considered at risk.

Steller (northern) sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus), however, are year-round residents of the Pacific Northwest coast, preferring to haul out in unpopulated areas well offshore. They have been designated a species of ‘Special Concern’ by COSEWIC.

Steller’s are much larger and lighter than California sea lions (light tan to reddish brown in colour). A thick neck covered with a mane of long, coarse hair resembles a lion’s… hence the common name ‘sea lion.’

Sea lions are a different species of animal from seals, but both are members of the scientific order Pinnipedia... finned ocean mammals that spend time both in the ocean and on land.

These hefty mammals tend to be larger than seals, and by far the more social and vocal. The loud ‘barking’ sound alerts us to sea lions’ presence, while seals utter only a low grunting sound.

On a proactive note: a new province-wide collaborative program, the B.C. Marine Mammal Response Network, assists distressed marine mammals, and collects valuable information from deceased animals. The program keeps track of threats such as disease outbreaks, inappropriate or illegal human activity, contamination, disturbance, vessel strikes, and entanglements.

If you find a dead, injured, sick or harassed marine mammal floating or on the beach, call toll-free: 1-800-465-4336 (24 hours/day: 7 days/week). For more information, contact Lisa Spaven by E-mail: Lisa.Spaven@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.