Galapagos Sea Lions

In my last post about Fernandina, I mentioned that Sally Lightfoot crabs groom the marine iguanas.  Tiny lava lizards help out, too.  These lizards, generally about six inches long,  survive on insects, maggots, and other critters that might also annoy the sea lion;  another symbiotic relationship.

I wasn’t able to get a good photo of a lizard lunching on sea lion flies.  This photo is from  galapagosislands.com

We met our first sea lions on San Cristobal island before we embarked on the Letty—this one greeted us at the dock  

Galapagos sea lions, related to California sea lions, are large, seem unflinchng, and live on several of the islands.  An adult male might weigh as much as 900 pounds;  adult females average about 250 pounds.

           

Unintimidated sea lions

Male sea lions are competitive all the time. but during mating season the stakes are especially high.  A dominant male takes control of an area and fights off other prospective suitors in order to create a space for up to fifteen—or more— females in his harem.  The male breeds with each of his females and is very protective of them.  Ironically, the labor of love can deprive the bull of time for adequate nutrition….it may not happen often but it could.   And that might make him an easier target for a rival bull who could, in a battle,  take over.

Sometimes the bull will be a little aggressive towards the pups.  Maybe he’s protecting his turf and gets a little carried away?  I didn’t hear any stories or see evidence of the dominant male ever hurting his offspring when I was there.

Females bear a single pup that bonds with mom.  She learns to differentiate her pup's call from the others. The mother hunts by day and nurses the baby in the evening for about five weeks.  The pup then begins to forage for itself but remains dependent on the mother sea lion for about 11 months.

Mother and pup

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Next: More About Galapagos Sea Lions