Marine Mammals
California Sea Lion
Zalophus californianus · Marine mammal, family Otariidae
Diving with California sea lions is the sport's best comedy. At Los Islotes, the pups hit you like a squadron of Labrador retrievers rebuilt for three dimensions: tugging fin tips, gnawing gently on strobe arms, hanging upside down an inch from your mask to see if you're worth further study. The adults are the real spectacle for anyone watching form: half a ton of muscle turning tighter than any fish, trailing bubbles like contrails through shafts of Baja light. Around the Channel Islands they ambush divers out of the kelp shadows in twos and tens. The colonies are loud, smelly, thriving, and pure joy from a body length away.
Di mana dan kapan melihatnya
"Resident" berarti sebagian besar penyelaman di destinasi tersebut akan menjumpai mereka; "seasonal" berarti kehadirannya dapat diandalkan pada bulan-bulan yang tercantum; selain itu adalah bonus, bukan rencana.
| Destinasi | Keandalan | Bulan | Catatan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea of Cortez & Cabo PulmoMexico | Resident: seen on most dives | Sep–May | |
| California Channel IslandsUnited States | Resident: seen on most dives | Sepanjang tahun | |
| British ColumbiaCanada | Seasonal: reliable in season | Oct–Mar |
Bulan terbaik, sekilas pandang
| Bulan | Destinasi yang dapat diandalkan |
|---|---|
| January | Sea of Cortez & Cabo Pulmo · California Channel Islands · British Columbia |
| February | Sea of Cortez & Cabo Pulmo · California Channel Islands · British Columbia |
| March | Sea of Cortez & Cabo Pulmo · California Channel Islands · British Columbia |
| April | Sea of Cortez & Cabo Pulmo · California Channel Islands |
| May | Sea of Cortez & Cabo Pulmo · California Channel Islands |
| June | California Channel Islands |
| July | California Channel Islands |
| August | California Channel Islands |
| September | Sea of Cortez & Cabo Pulmo · California Channel Islands |
| October | Sea of Cortez & Cabo Pulmo · California Channel Islands · British Columbia |
| November | Sea of Cortez & Cabo Pulmo · California Channel Islands · British Columbia |
| December | Sea of Cortez & Cabo Pulmo · California Channel Islands · British Columbia |
Memahaminya
Habitat: Rocky haul-outs, kelp forests, and sandy coves along the eastern Pacific coast
Sebaran: British Columbia to Mexico, including the Gulf of California; the classic dive encounters are at Baja's Los Islotes and California's Channel Islands
Perilaku: The ocean's most committed extrovert. Juveniles treat divers as gymnasium equipment (barrel-rolling around heads, mouthing fins, blowing bubbles, mimicking postures), while females loop past in fluid arcs and territorial bulls patrol the perimeter barking. Underwater they fly; ashore they argue.
Diet: Squid, anchovies, sardines, and whatever schooling fish the season provides
Ukuran: biasanya sekitar 2.0 m; terdokumentasi hingga 2.4 m (body length; males up to about 350 kg dwarf the 100 kg females).
Cara berperilaku di sekitarnya
Let pups initiate play and never grab back, keep clear of bulls and their harems, no feeding, and respect seasonal closures: Los Islotes shuts to visitors through the summer breeding months.
Konservasi
Least Concern and abundant after decades of US protection; El Niño food crashes and toxic algal blooms drive periodic mass strandings.
Situs-situs terdata yang dikenal dengan hal itu
Lokasi yang disorot dipetakan untuk spesies ini oleh editor kami; angka-angkanya adalah catatan kemunculan GBIF yang dicatat dalam radius sekitar 5 km dari suatu lokasi sejak 1990.
Tonton
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