BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Zalophus californianus
California Sea Lion
| Scientific Name: | Zalophus californianus (Lesson, 1828) | ||||||||||
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| English Name: | California Sea Lion | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vertebrate Animal | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | M-ZACA | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5 (Apr 2016) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S4S5N (Mar 2022) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Yellow | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | Not at Risk (May 1987) | ||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | |||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | |||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Global Reproduction Comments: | Males establish breeding territories after arrival of females. Single pups are born mainly in late June in California, late May-January in Galapagos. Females mate 3-4 weeks after giving birth, then make periodic trips to sea to feed. Young are weaned generally in 4-8 months in California but frequently after more than a year and sometimes three years in the Galapagos. Females sexually mature at about 4 years, may live up to 25 years; most adult females breed annually. Males first breed probably at 9-10 years. | ||||||||||
| Global Ecology Comments: | Gregarious at all seasons. Predators include killer whales and sharks, though these have little impact on populations. | ||||||||||
| Migration Characteristics: (Global / Provincial) | |||||||||||
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Nonmigrant: Local Migrant: Distant Migrant: Within Borders Migrant: |
N / N / Y / na / |
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| Global Migration Comments: | After the breeding season (August-September) some adult and subadult males move northward and overwinter as far north as British Columbia; return south March-May. Males from Baja California rookeries arrive in southern California in December-January (Reeves et al. 1992). Migratory status of females and young unclear. | ||||||||||
| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
Ocean / Marine Island / Facultative - frequent use
Ocean / Pelagic / Facultative - frequent use Ocean / Reefs / Facultative - frequent use Ocean / Sheltered Waters - Marine / Facultative - frequent use |
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| Global Habitat Comments: | Coastal waters. Hauls out on rocky and sandy beaches, primarily on islands. Young are born in rookeries on rocky and sandy beaches, primarily on islands. | ||||||||||
| Provincial Habitat Comments: | Marine | ||||||||||
| Food Habits: |
Invertivore: Adult, Immature
Piscivore: Adult, Immature |
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| Global Food Habits Comments: | Opportunistic feeder. Feeds on squid, octopus, and a various fishes, including herring, anchovy, whiting, mackerel, sardines, hake, rock-fish, etc. Males do not feed during breeding season. Lactating females at San Miguel Island forage with 100 km of rookery, in highly productive upwelling areas; most feeding dives are relatively shallow (26-74 m) (Reeves et al. 1992). | ||||||||||
| Global Phenology: |
Nocturnal: Adult, Immature
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| Global Phenology Comments: | Feeds mostly at night, spends the morning and mid-day sleeping on beaches. | ||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
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| Colonial Breeder: | Y | ||||||||||
| Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): | 250/ / 300000 | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): |
Global:
Provincial: |
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| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | Coastal North Pacific, Mazatlan and Baja California to Vancouver Island (males in fall and winter); breeds on San Miguel, San Nicolas, Santa Barbara, and San Clemente islands in southern California; largest breeding colony is on San Miguel Island; a few pups are born occasionally at South Farallon and Ano Nuevo islands off central California; in Mexico, breeds on the Coronados, Guadalupe, San Martin, Cedros, and San Benito islands off the Pacific coast of Baja California, and there are many smaller colonies on islands in the Gulf of California (Keith et al. 1984, Reeves et al. 1992). Galapagos and eastern Asian populations, sometimes included in this species, are now regarded as distinct species. | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | Hammerson, G. | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Apr 11, 1996 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
Banfield, A. W. F. 1974. The mammals of Canada. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Canada. 438 pp. |
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Bigg, M. A. 1988. Status of the California sea lion, ZALOPHUS CALIFORNIANUS, in Canada. Canadian Field-Nat. 102:307-314. |
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COSEWIC. 2013d. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Steller Sea Lion Eumetopias jubatus in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. xi + 54 pp. |
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Ingles, L. G. 1965. Mammals of the Pacific States. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. |
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Keith, E. O., R. S. Condit, and B. J. Le Boeuf. 1984. California sea lions breeding at Ano Nuevo Island, California. J. Mamm. 65:695. |
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Maser, C., B. R. Mate, J. F. Franklin, and C. T. Dyrness. 1981. Natural history of Oregon coast mammals. Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Expt. Sta., USDA, Forest Service, Gen Tech. Rep. PNW-133:1-496. |
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Pacifici, M., L. Santini, M. Di Marco et al. 2013. Generation length for mammals. Nature Conservation 5, pp.89-94. |
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Peterson, R.S. and G.A. Bartholomew. 1965. The natural history and behavior of the California sea lion. American Society of Mammalogists, Spec. Publ. (1):1-79. |
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Reeves, R. R., B. S. Stewart, and S. Leatherwood. 1992. The Sierra Club Handbook of Seals and Sirenians. Sierra Club Books, San Francisco, California. xvi + 359 pp. |
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Riedman, M. 1990a. The Pinnipeds: Seals, Sea Lions and Walruses. University of California Press, Berkeley, California. xxiii + 439 pp. |
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Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder (editors). 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Second edition. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC. xviii + 1206 pp. Available online at: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/msw/. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 1996. Species Summary: Zalophus californianus. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Dec 26, 2024).