Pacific Sea Lions

These big creatures, with whiskers as long as your arm, twist and turn in the sun, writhing in an impossibly uncomfortable heap, occasionally shooting their heads into the sky to scan the horizon for danger or to ward off an interloper come to rest his head within flippers reach. It's just another normal day here on the haunches of the sea, where the dogs of the deep keep a delicate balance between hot and cold, mixing the water and the sun to find that perfect nap-time temperature. Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear flaps, long foreflippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short, thick hair. Together with the fur seals, they comprise the family Otariidae, or eared seals. Their range extends from the subarctic to tropical waters of the global ocean in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, with the notable exception of the northern Atlantic Ocean. They have an average life span of 20–30 years. A male California Sea Lion weighs on an average about 300 kg (660 lbs) and is about 8 feet long, while the female sea lion weighs 100 kg (220 lbs) and is 6 feet long. The largest sea lion is the Steller's sea lion which can weigh 1000 kg (2200 lbs) and grow to a length of 10 feet. Sea lions consume large quantities of food at a time and are known to eat about 5-8% of their body weight (about 15 to 35 pounds) at a single feeding. Some species of sea lion are readily trainable and are often a popular attraction at zoos and aquariums. The archetypal circus "seal" performing behaviors such as throwing and catching balls on its nose and clapping is almost always a sea lion.