Sea Lion Salute
Photographer James Kusz caught this sea lion cavorting in the waters off Cesar Chavez Park. The animal is probably a youngster; it doesn’t look as big as an adult. It’s clearly a sea lion, though, and not a harbor seal. The tell is the ear flaps. Sea lions have little ear flaps. Seals only have ear holes, no flaps. The video makes it very clear that this one has the ear flaps.
The same individual, or one just like it, made life difficult for fisher Christopher R. on the north side a day earlier. At that time, the animal was actively hunting, some thirty or forty yards out from Chris’ fishing spot. Chris didn’t get a bite for an hour; the sea lion probably frightened all fish away for hundreds of yards.
We not infrequently see harbor seals from the shores of the park. Seeing a definite sea lion is unusual. Read more about them on Wikipedia.
This is lovely, thank you!
One question i always have is, isn’t fishing a threat to sea mammals? i meant wouldn’t they eat the bait and get a fish hook stuck in their mouth?
thanks.