![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2017\/12\/Sea-lion-Graham-Earnshaw-a0b78b2.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Are Gal\u00e1pagos sea lions found outside of the Gal\u00e1pagos?<\/h2>\n
As their name suggests, Gal\u00e1pagos sea lions primarily breed in the Gal\u00e1pagos Islands, though breeding colonies can also be found on Isla de la Plata just off mainland Ecuador.<\/p>\n
Are Gal\u00e1pagos sea lions endangered?<\/h2>\n
Gal\u00e1pagos sea lions are the most commonly seen marine mammal in Gal\u00e1pagos due to their playfulness and curiosity. While usually seen on beaches or swimming close to shore, they can also be found on benches in the middle of town!<\/p>\n
However, despite seeming common, they are actually Endangered\u00a0(last assessed for the IUCN Red List in 2014<\/a>). The Gal\u00e1pagos sea lion population declined by 60-65% from 1978 to 2001, and since then there has been no evidence of either decline or increase.<\/p>\n The reasons for this massive reduction are only partly understood \u2013 it is thought that el Nino events effect their prey abundance and subsequently reproduction and survival. Deaths by disease have also increased in recent years.<\/p>\n Their smooth and streamlined bodies make sea lions efficient hunters of fish (especially sardines) and other prey. Research has revealed<\/a> that Gal\u00e1pagos sea lions can make the longest, deepest dives of all the sea lion species \u2013 they can dive for over 10 minutes and reach depths of almost 600m!<\/p>\n It is thought that their extreme diving ability, along with other traits, have enabled the sea lions to survive better in an environment where productivity is low and unpredictable.<\/p>\n Gal\u00e1pagos resident and wildlife photographer Tui De Roy observed Gal\u00e1pagos sea lions hunting by corralling their prey ontpo the beach: \u201cUsing a pincer movement to prevent their prey\u2019s escape,\u201d she told BBC Wildlife<\/em>, \u201cand increasing their speed to the max, the hunters drove the entire school directly onto the beach, their tightly packed rank generating a mini- tsunami-like wave that washed some fish high and dry.\u201d She published her findings as a scientific paper in Ecology & Evolution.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n The sexes are easy to distinguish \u2013 males have a prominent bump on their forehead and can weigh up to four times more than females.<\/p>\n Males hold territories on beaches where females are found, rather than direct harems. The more dominant the male, the more land he has and therefore the more females he has access to.<\/p>\n Bulls that fail to secure land tend to form bachelor colonies away from the areas that females frequent.<\/p>\n Females give birth to a single pup, which has a unique call to help its mother know where it is. It will feed on its mother\u2019s milk until it is five weeks old and then will start to forage with its mother close to the shore. Pups are dependent on their mothers until they are 11 or 12 months old.<\/p>\n The main threat to Gal\u00e1pagos sea lions is El Ni\u00f1o, which causes extreme weather patterns. In El Ni\u00f1o years, the marine life on which sea lions depend can collapse, in turn affecting the survival and breeding success of the sea lions.<\/p>\n While in English they are Gal\u00e1pagos sea lions, in Spanish they are called \u2018lobos marinos<\/em>\u2019 or sea wolves.<\/p>\n![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2017\/12\/GettyImages-667597655-944dd91.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>How do Gal\u00e1pagos sea lions hunt?<\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2017\/12\/Sea-lion-marine-15-Tracey-Jennings-3678ba3.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C360"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>How can you tell the difference between male and female Gal\u00e1pagos sea lions?<\/h2>\n
How do Gal\u00e1pagos sea lions reproduce?<\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2017\/12\/Sea-lion-Nicole-Andrews-1-fb269d1.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>How many pups do Gal\u00e1pagos sea lions have?<\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/23\/2017\/12\/GettyImages-667606560-8df6a12.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Are Gal\u00e1pagos sea lions vulnerable to extreme weather?<\/h2>\n
What are Gal\u00e1pagos sea lions called in Spanish?<\/h2>\n
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