Makin' baby sea lions!

Female Sea Lion and her new pup

Reproductive Behavior

California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus) breed between the months of May and July. Females begin to mate around the age of four, while males have to wait until they are strong enough to compete with other males which is normally around the age of seven or eight. During mating season the males will fast and live solely off of their blubber which allows them to devote the majority of their time toward finding a female partner to breed with. Male sea lions become extremely aggressive during mating season and compete with one another in order to prove their dominance. Dominant males who have established their territory will often mate with up to sixteen females in one season! Females will look for a strong male that can offer the most protection, when the female finds her match she will submit and mate. One of the more interesting facts I came across is that a female will still be pregnant with her pup from the previous mating season up until right before she mates again. Females mate almost immediately after giving birth to their pups and are often pregnant while nursing. After a gestation period of about eleven months the female will come to shore to give birth to her pup (females rarely give birth to more than one pup per year). After the pup is born the mother normally nurses for around six months but sometimes may continue for as long as a year. Mothers are able to recognize their young through the way her pup smells and its specific vocalizations. Each pup has their own unique tone and pitch which their mother is able to pick up on! 

California Sea Lion Pup!

http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/animal-bytes/animalia/eumetazoa/coelomates/deuterostomes/chordata/craniata/mammalia/pinnipedia/california-sea-lion.htm

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/california-sea-lion/

http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/education/marine-mammal-information/pinnipeds/california-sea-lion/

SEA LIONS: A Menace to Coastal Communities?

LA JOLLA--Tensions have begun to arise between beachgoers and local sea lion populations.

These pinnipeds have been exhibiting behaviors for some time that have severely impacted the beach going experience and proved worrisome to many La Jolla natives.  

Sea lions in the La Jolla Cove have been expanding their territory, moving along Alligator Head up through Million Dollar Reef.  When establishing these new domains, they must protect them using aggression and intimidation.

Longtime La Jollan Anne Cleveland stated, "They patrol back and forth...One Sunday when I was was here there was a big one right at the shoreline...It looked like he was trying to keep people from coming into his territory."  This style of behavior frightens many of the Cove users who have experienced it and in reality who can blame them?

Although the territorial behavior of the sea lions in the La Jolla Cove is a concern, it is not the only sea lion related issue facing the community.  An increase in water pollution levels has been reported as a result of sea lion excrement.  Cleveland notes, "It's become a toilet." The local swimming pools have become so fouled by pollutants that they are considered health risks.

"It's loud. That doesn't really bother me as much as the smell does...I have to keep the door closed," said Manuel Aguilar, who works just up the hill from the sea lions in the La Jolla Cove.  The negative impacts of the sea lion expansion are felt by locals like Mr. Aguilar and Ms. Cleveland, however as of now there seem to be no resolutions to their problems.

The population of sea lions in the La Jolla Cove has doubled in the last five years and will likely double again in the next five.  The sea lions are here to stay.

Although I recognize the validity of Ms. Cleveland and other local La Jollan's concerns, I also understand that everything must be taken with a grain of salt.  Yes, these sea lions are making your beaches smell a little.  However, these negative impacts are minuscule in comparison to larger scale results such as incarceration and death.

In Portland, Oregon just under two years ago Wildlife officials were issuing death sentences to sea lions because they were eating too many salmons.  Sea lions were removed from their environment and eventually euthanized.  These sea lions are being truly impacted by our species in a much more serious way than smells or barking.

Does this punishment fit the crime?

Jensen, Janet. "Sea lions killed for sake of salmon."Environment on msnbc [Portland] 08 03 2010, n. 
           pag. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. 

Schwab, Dave. "Sea Lions: New pinniped problems for La Jolla?." La Jolla Light [San Diego] n.d., n.     
           pag. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. <http://www.lajollalight.com/2010/12/01/sea-lions-new-pinniped-
           problem-for-la-jolla/>.