the general name of five species of large pinnipeds of the family Otariidae. Adult males are up to 2–3.6 m long and weigh up to 200–1,250 kg; adult females are up to 1.8-2.8 m long and weigh up to 90–400 kg. The coat of hair is more or less uniform in color, ranging from light gray to cinnamon brown; sea lions do not have a thick undercoat. The hair on the neck, shoulders, and chest on older males is usually long and some-what resembles a mane.
Each of the five species of sea lions belongs to a different genus. Stellar’s sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) and the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) are found in the northern hemisphere along the Pacific coast from California to Mexico, off the Galapagos Islands, and in the Sea of Japan. The remaining three species—the Patagonian sea lion (Otaria flavescens), the Australian sea lion (Neofoca cinerea), and the New Zealand sea lion (Phocarctos hookeri)—are found in the southern hemisphere. Only Steller’s sea lion is encountered in the USSR.
All sea lions are polygamous herd animals. During the summer and fall they gather at breeding grounds on islands, where they reproduce, rear their young, and molt. Except during the breeding season, sea lions prefer to keep to the sea, feeding on fish and cephalopod mollusks. They are valued commercially for their fat and hide. California sea lions are often trained for the circus.
K. K. CHAPSKII