How big does a California sea lion get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:
A grown California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) reaches an average size of 2.02 meter (6′ 8″).
When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). During their lifetime of about 30 years, they grow from 6.34 kg (13.99 lbs) to 137.6 kg (303.35 lbs). A California sea lion has 1 babies at once. The California sea lion (genus: Zalophus) is a member of the family Otariidae.
As a reference: Humans reach an average body size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) while carrying 62 kg (137 lbs). A human woman is pregnant for 280 days (40 weeks) and on average become 75 years old.
The California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) is a coastal eared seal native to western North America. It is one of six species of sea lion. Its natural habitat ranges from southeast Alaska to central Mexico, including the Gulf of California. Sea lions are sexually dimorphic; males are larger than females, and have a thicker neck, and protruding sagittal crest. They mainly haul-out on sandy or rocky beaches, but they also frequent manmade environments such as marinas and wharves. Sea lions feed on a number of species of fish and squid, and are preyed on by killer whales and great white sharks.California sea lions have a polygynous breeding pattern. From May to August, males establish territories and try to attract females with which to mate. Females are free to move in between territories, and are not coerced by males. Mothers nurse their pups in between foraging trips. Sea lions communicate with numerous vocalizations, notably with barks and mother-pup contact calls. Outside their breeding season, sea lions spend much of their time at sea, but they come to shore to molt.Sea lions are particularly intelligent, can be trained to perform various tasks and display limited fear of humans if accustomed to them. Because of this, California sea lions are a popular choice for public display in zoos, circuses and oceanariums, and are trained by the United States Navy for certain military operations. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the species as Least Concern due to its abundance. To protect fish, the US states of Oregon and Washington engage in annual kill quotas of sea lions.
Animals of the same family as a California sea lion
We found other animals of the Otariidae family:
- Australian sea lion with a size of 1.8 meter (5′ 11″)
- Guadalupe fur seal with a size of 1.71 meter (5′ 8″)
- Antarctic fur seal with a size of 1.57 meter (5′ 2″)
- Brown fur seal with a size of 1.91 meter (6′ 3″)
- Arctocephalus forsteri with a size of 1.71 meter (5′ 8″)
- South American sea lion with a size of 2.12 meter (7′ 0″)
- New Zealand sea lion with a size of 2.02 meter (6′ 8″)
- Subantarctic fur seal with a size of 1.63 meter (5′ 4″)
- Galápagos fur seal with a size of 1.36 meter (4′ 6″)
- South American sea lion with a size of 2.11 meter (7′ 0″)
Animals with the same size as a California sea lion
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as California sea lion:
- Javan rusa with a size of 1.63 meter (5′ 5″)
- Mountain zebra with a size of 2.35 meter (7′ 9″)
- Northern fur seal with a size of 1.74 meter (5′ 9″)
- Eld’s deer with a size of 1.65 meter (5′ 5″)
- Polar bear with a size of 2 meter (6′ 7″)
- Atlantic spotted dolphin with a size of 2.13 meter (7′ 0″)
- Striped dolphin with a size of 2.3 meter (7′ 7″)
- South American tapir with a size of 2.01 meter (6′ 7″)
- Malayan tapir with a size of 2.22 meter (7′ 4″)
- Amazon river dolphin with a size of 2.12 meter (7′ 0″)
Animals with the same litter size as a California sea lion
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (1) as a California sea lion:
- Tamaraw
- Ruwenzori otter shrew
- Nilgiri tahr
- Four-horned antelope
- Southern forest bat
- Oncilla
- Shining thicket rat
- Grey-headed flying fox
- Cave nectar bat
- Pygmy slow loris
Animals with the same life expectancy as a California sea lion
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a California sea lion:
- Ryukyu flying fox with an average maximal age of 31 years
- Greater horseshoe bat with an average maximal age of 30 years
- South American tapir with an average maximal age of 35 years
- Guadalupe fur seal with an average maximal age of 24 years
- White-bellied spider monkey with an average maximal age of 28 years
- Kinkajou with an average maximal age of 29 years
- Sea otter with an average maximal age of 30 years
- African civet with an average maximal age of 28 years
- Water buffalo with an average maximal age of 28.25 years
- Drill (animal) with an average maximal age of 33.33 years
Animals with the same weight as a California sea lion
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Zalophus californianus:
- Thorold’s deer with a weight of 161.68 kilos (356.44 lbs)
- Common tsessebe with a weight of 133.5 kilos (294.32 lbs)
- Lion with a weight of 158.75 kilos (349.98 lbs)
- Marsh deer with a weight of 111.76 kilos (246.39 lbs)
- Southern right whale dolphin with a weight of 116 kilos (255.74 lbs)
- Bornean bearded pig with a weight of 135.4 kilos (298.51 lbs)
- Dusky dolphin with a weight of 127.25 kilos (280.54 lbs)
- Black wildebeest with a weight of 156.55 kilos (345.13 lbs)
- Northern right whale dolphin with a weight of 113 kilos (249.12 lbs)
- Giant panda with a weight of 118 kilos (260.15 lbs)