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/