ALL ABOUT OUR MAMMALS
ALL ABOUT OUR MAMMALS
CALIFORNIA SEA LION
| ORDER: SUBORDER: FAMILY: GENUS: SPECIES: SUB-SPECIES: | Carnivora Pinnipedia Otariidae Zalophus californianus californicus |
| Adult (Average) Size: | Male: 6’6″ to 8’2″, 440 to 800 lbs.; Female: 5′ to 6′, 100 to 250 lbs. |
| Habitat: | Sandy or rocky island beaches; sometimes on mainland shorelines, coastal islands, or in caves protected by steep cliffs |
| Range: | Vancouver to Baja California; Gulf of California; Preferred breeding grounds are islands from California’s Channel Islands south through the Gulf |
| Migratory Patterns: | Long distance seasonal migrations. Adult and sub-adult males tend to travel north for winter; females stay in range of breeding areas. |
| Social Organization During Breeding: | Colonial; moderate sized to large groups |
| Mating Behavior: | Polygynous |
| Sexual Maturity: | Male: 4 to 7 years; Female: 4 to 5 years |
| Mating Season: | Early July |
| Gestation Period: | 11 months (3 months delayed implantation) |
| Pupping Season: | Mid-May to late June (peak pupping season: Mid‑June) |
| Size at Birth: | 2 ft. (10 lbs. to 15 lbs.) |
| Lactation (Nursing) Period: | 6 to 12 months (Length of lactation period is known to vary) |
| Usual Diet: | Squid, octopus, herring and anchovies |
| Amount of Food per Day: | Juvenile: 5 lbs. to 8 lbs.; Adults: l0 lbs. to 40 lbs. |
| Predators: | Orcas, great white sharks and bull sharks |
| Diving Depth: | California Sea Lions generally do not need to dive very deeply, since most of their food is in shallow waters. They can dive to depths of 450 ft. |
| Submersion Times: | They can remain submerged for 10 to 15 minutes |
| Longevity: | Average lifespan for most pinnipeds is estimated to be from 15 to 25 years |
GUADALUPE FUR SEAL
| ORDER: SUBORDER: FAMILY: GENUS: SPECIES: | Carnivora Pinnipedia Otariidae Arctocephalustownsendi |
| Adult (Average) Size: | Male: 5’10” to 7’9”, 350 to 485 lbs.; Female: 4’6” to 5’6”, 88 to 120 lbs. |
| Habitat: | Coastal, preferring rocky areas and caves/rookeries on land. |
| Range: | Southern Gulf of California, Western Mexico, California (south of Farallon Islands) to Channel Islands. Breed on Guadalupe Island and possibly beyond. True range may be underestimated due to rarity of sightings. |
| Migratory Patterns: | Long‑distance seasonal migrations |
| Social Organization During Breeding: | Colonial; similar to sea lions |
| Mating Behavior: | Polygynous |
| Sexual Maturity: | Unknown |
| Mating Season: | Late June ‑ late July |
| Gestation Period: | 11 ‑ 12 months (with delayed implantation) |
| Pupping Season: | June ‑ July (peak pupping season: June) |
| Size at Birth: | About 2 ft. |
| Lactation (Nursing) Period: | 8 to 9 months |
| Usual Diet: | Squid, lantern fish, mackerel, rockfish |
| Amount of Food per Day: | Thought to be 10-20% of body weight |
| Predators: | Possibly great white sharks |
| Diving Depth: | Appear to feed at a depth of about 65 ft. |
| Submersion Times: | Average about 2-3 minutes |
| Longevity: | Average lifespan for most pinnipeds is estimated to be from 15 to 25 years |
HARBOR SEAL
| ORDER: SUBORDER: FAMILY: GENUS: SPECIES: SUB-SPECIES: | Carnivora Pinnipedia Phocidae Phoca vitulina richardsi |
| Adult (Average) Size: | Male: 4’7″ to 5’7″ , up to 300 lbs.; Female: 4’7″ to 5’7″, up to 300 lbs. |
| Habitat: | Coastal waters and mouths of rivers; may occur in some northern inland freshwater lakes |
| Range: | Hudson Bay to Carolinas (Atlantic); Northern Alaska to Calif. Coastline (Pacific) |
| Migratory Patterns: | Non‑migratory |
| Social Organization During Breeding: | Small to large groups |
| Mating Behavior: | Polygynous |
| Sexual Maturity: | Male: 3 to 7 years; Female: 2 to 7 years |
| Mating Season: | Varies; May to June (North America) |
| Gestation Period: | 12 months (3 months delayed implantation) |
| Pupping Season: | April to May (east coast of North America), February to March (west coast) |
| Size at Birth: | 2 ‑ 3 ft. (22 lbs. to 28 lbs.) |
| Lactation (Nursing) Period: | 21 ‑ 42 days (Length of lactation period varies geographically) |
| Usual Diet: | Herring, squid, flounder, crustaceans and mollusks |
| Amount of Food per Day: | Juvenile: 5 lbs. to 8 lbs.; Adults: 10 lbs. to 15 lbs. |
| Predators: | Orcas, great white sharks and polar bears |
| Diving Depth: | Can dive to depths of 600 ft. |
| Submersion Times: | Can remain submerged for 30 minutes; average 5 to 8 minutes. |
| Longevity: | Average lifespan for most pinnipeds is estimated to be from 15 to 25 years |
NORTHERN (ALASKA) FUR SEAL
| ORDER: SUBORDER: FAMILY: GENUS: SPECIES: | Carnivora Pinnipedia Otariidae Callorhinus ursinus |
| Adult (Average) Size: | Male: 6’3″ to 7’3”, 330 to 600 lbs.; Female: 3’8″ to 5′, 84 to 150 lbs. |
| Habitat: | Most of the year at sea, coming to rocky and sandy beaches to breed in summer. |
| Range: | Arctic Ocean to Southern California in winter. Summers on Pribilof Islands in Bering Sea and San Miguel islands off the California coast (Rookeries: Pribilof, Commander, and San Miguel). Not commonly seen along the coast in the Southern California area due to their pelagic lifestyle. They spend most of their time in deep waters far offshore. |
| Migratory Patterns: | Long‑distance seasonal migrations |
| Social Organization During Breeding: | Colonial; extremely large groups |
| Mating Behavior: | Polygynous |
| Sexual Maturity: | Male: 5 years; Female: 3 to 7 years |
| Mating Season: | Late June ‑ late July |
| Gestation Period: | 11 ‑ 12 months (3 months delayed implantation) |
| Pupping Season: | June ‑ July (peak pupping season: Mid‑June to mid‑July) |
| Size at Birth: | 2 ft. (10 lbs. to 15 lbs.) |
| Lactation (Nursing) Period: | 4 to 5 months |
| Usual Diet: | Squid, herring, pollack and lantern fish |
| Amount of Food per Day: | Juvenile: 5 lbs. to 8 lbs.; Adults: 10 lbs. to 30 lbs. |
| Predators: | Orcas, great white sharks, and Stellar Sea Lions (feed on pups) |
| Diving Depth: | On average they can dive 68 ft. and have been recorded to dive to depths of 600 ft. |
| Submersion Times: | Average about 7 minutes |
| Longevity: | Average lifespan for most pinnipeds is estimated to be from 15 to 25 years |
NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEAL
| ORDER: SUBORDER: FAMILY: GENUS: SPECIES: | Carnivora Pinnipedia Phocidae Mirounga angustirostris |
| Adult (Average) Size: | Male: up to 14′, 4,400 lbs. Female: up to 10′, 1,300 lbs. |
| Habitat: | Temperate waters; subtropical sandy beaches during breeding and molting times |
| Range: | Gulf of Alaska south to Baja California; Breeds on islands from Farollons off California coast south to Benito Island off Baja California. (California rookeries at Ano Nuevo, Pt. Reyes, Big Sur, and Channel Islands) |
| Migratory Patterns: | Long‑distance seasonal migrations |
| Social Organization During Breeding: | Colonial; moderate sized to extremely large groups |
| Mating Behavior: | Polygynous |
| Sexual Maturity: | Male: 5 years; Female: 2 to 6 years |
| Mating Season: | Mid‑February |
| Gestation Period: | 11 months (4 months delayed implantation) |
| Pupping Season: | December to mid‑March (peak pupping season: Late January ‑ early February) |
| Size at Birth: | 3 ‑ 5 ft. (60 – 80 lbs.) |
| Lactation (Nursing) Period: | 22 ‑ 29 days approximate |
| Usual Diet: | Squid, small sharks, rays and other deep water species |
| Amount of Food per Day: | Juvenile: 10 lbs. to 12 lbs.; Adults: 50 lbs. to 100 lbs. |
| Predators: | Orcas and great white sharks |
| Diving Depth: | Average Dive: 450 ft. Have been recorded to dive to depths of 5,000 ft. |
| Submersion Times: | They can easily remain submerged for 20 minutes, with a maximum of 119 minutes |
| Longevity: | Average lifespan for most pinnipeds is estimated to be from 15 to 25 years. Females generally longer than males. |
PINNIPED
Pinniped means “wing or fin-footed,” or casually speaking, “flippered feet.” Pinnipeds are animals organized into groups that share similar physical, functional, and genetic characteristics. All pinnipeds belong to the Order Carnivora, which includes meat-eating animals with sharp teeth. The next classification is the Suborder Pinnipedia. The name pinniped comes from the Latin “pinnipes” and roughly translates to “wing or fin-footed.” These animals have paddle-shaped feet with claws. The suborder Pinnipedia is divided into three families: the Otariidae, the Phocidae and the Odobenidae, which are further divided into genus and species.
OTARIIDAE
The Otariidae are characterized by having external ear flaps (pinnae) and are often referred to as the “eared seals.” They have whiskers (vibrissae), can walk on all four limbs (quadrupedal), and have nails on their rear flippers and small tails. The bottom surfaces (palmar surface) of the flippers are leathery rather than covered with fur. The Otariids swim primarily with their front flippers, using the rear flippers for steering. Adult males are much larger than females (sexual dimorphism) and develop a sagittal crest on the skull.
10% of pinnipeds are in the family Otariidae; yet, in Southern California they constitute the majority of our patients. The California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) is the most commonly treated pinniped at Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles. Other members of the Otariid family treated at MMCC LA include the Northern fur seal (Callorhin ursinus) and the Guadalupe fur seal (Arctocephalus townsendi).
Please don’t become confused by the common names Northern fur seal and Guadalupe fur seal. Both of these types of seals have all of the characteristics of animals in the sea lion family despite having the common name fur seal. Fur seals eat fish and squid, travel long distances, and can live 15-25 years. They breed and give birth to pups on islands or in remote coastal rookeries. California sea lion pups may remain with their mothers on their natal beaches for a year or more. Young sea lion pups aged 6-12 months can be rescued and brought to MMCC LA if they separate early from their mothers and become dehydrated and malnourished.
PHOCIDAE
The Phocidae account for 90% of all pinnipeds worldwide. They are often referred to as “true seals” and are characterized by having no external ear flaps, having fur on all flipper surfaces, and small, sharp nails on the front and rear digits. They cannot tuck their rear flippers under their bodies for walking as the sea lions do. They move on land by scooting and in the water the rear flippers move side to side, pushing the animal through the water.
The Phocidae are distributed around the world and in many habitats. The smallest pinniped, weighing up to 200 lbs, is the Baikal seal (Pusa sibirica), which is found in Lake Baikal, Russia. This is the only freshwater seal. The largest pinniped is the Southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina), which is found in Antarctica and weighs up to 11,000 lbs. Worldwide there are 13 genera and 18 species in the family Phocidae. Many are associated with the Arctic and Antarctic.
Coastal California is home to two phocid species; the Pacific Harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) and the Northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) and both are routinely admitted to MMCC for injury, illness or malnutrition. Adult Northern elephant seals are rarely observed on Southern California beaches and are rarely admitted for rehabilitation. Adult Harbor seals are also rarely admitted for rehabilitation. Unlike sea lions, the Northern elephant seal and the Pacific Harbor seal have short lactation periods of only about 30 days before the pups are weaned.
ODOBENIDAE
The Odobenidae, include the walruses. Walruses are found in coastal areas of Alaska and around the Arctic. They breed on pack ice and forage on mollusks, clams and other invertebrates on the bottom of the ocean. They are characterized by the continually growing upper canine teeth in adult males and females and can reach 40 years of age.
