I've never seen a sea lion before so it was amazing to discover about 20 of them lazing around on a dock and the side of a boat next to an oyster processor close to Fanny Bay, south of Courtenay. We almost drove right past them but my eagle-eyed husband spotted them in the distance. We walked down a ramp and were very close to them. I never realized how big they are and what a racket they make! They bark almost constantly.
Those
two sea lions in the centre really amused me...they'd be sleeping nose
to nose then suddenly one or sometimes both would rise up and start
barking in the other's face.
The
Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) is a near-threatened species of
sea lion from the northern Pacific. It's the largest of the eared seals
and is smaller only than the walrus and elephant seals. Their species
has unfortunately suffered significant and unexplainted declines in
population over a large part of their range in Alaska in recent decades.
On
average, male sea lions grow to just under 10 feet, and weigh about
1,200 pounds. Females average under 8 feet in length and weigh about 600
pounds. You can see the difference between a male and female Steller
sea lion in the photo below.
I'll be posting more about our trip to Vancouver Island very soon but I wanted to share the sea lions with you first!
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2 comments:
I believe we saw some Stellars on a trip to Alaska a few years back. Sorry to read about their continued decline. Most worrisome...
It is worrisome, isn't it? Nature is so interwoven, when one little thing changes it can start a chain reaction that can be impossible to untangle the mess.
I have a little good news though...the herring run was happening when we went to the island and apparently it was a very good year for herring. The best in many years.
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