Sea lion, not seal
Sea lions have ear flaps, swim with their long front flippers like wings and walk on land on all fours; true seals have no ear flaps, swim with their hind flippers and wriggle. Sea lions bark. They breed on the Channel Islands and on the Coronado Islands just south of San Diego, where the colonies are curious enough to come and inspect a diver.
The species was hunted for most of the twentieth century and recovered strongly after the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. It now numbers in the hundreds of thousands, though warm-water years and toxic algal blooms still strand pups and adults along Southern California beaches.
A longer guide to this species, with what it means for Southern California, is on My Clean Ocean →
