Southern Sea Lions
Meet Diego, who joined the Sanctuary in 2009.
On sunny days you will find Diego on the rocks of their enclosure, hauled out blissfully basking the afternoon away! Diego is a little bit clumsy and unsure of himself sometimes and will get embarrassed if he trips up! But with lots of reassurance he is building his confidence and is a very lovable character at the Sanctuary.
Did you know?
- Sea Lions cannot smell under water. When they dive they close their nostrils to prevent water entering them.
- A group of Sea Lions in the sea is called a raft. During the breeding season, male Patagonian sea lions compete to control a territory with multiple females within it, called a harem.
- Southern Sea Lion vocals are really varied and depend on the situation. Males, females and pups have different types vocals; high pitched calls, barks, growls, grunts and exhalations. Which ones they use depend if they are interacting with male rivals, possible mates or pups and mothers.
- Southern Sea Lions are a favourite for common vampire bats, which often visit and feed on the sea lions when they are hauled out as a convenient source of food!
