Sea lions feed on fish, shellfish, crustaceans. They find mollusks at the bottom, diving for this to a depth of 90 m, and the fish are pursued with great dexterity. In water, these animals move like birds, actively rowing their forelimbs. Because sea lions live in warmer waters than most pinnipeds, they do not accumulate large amounts of fat.
Reproduction occurs once a year, but the gon in sea lions passes calmer than in sea elephants or seals. Males occupy on the shore permanent sites, the boundaries of which are protected from alien invasion. Sometimes males engage in fights with each other, but they are never as fierce as elephant seals and seals. Each male collects around him a harem of 10-12 females. Non-breeding individuals are kept separately along the edges of the rookery. Pregnancy of females lasts a year. Females give birth to young in a harem and immediately mate with males again. Young lion cubs are born with golden fur. For the first few days, the mother keeps with the baby permanently, after mating with the male, she begins to go to sea. Feeding in sea lions, unlike other related species, is prolonged, the female feeds the baby with milk for 5-7 months.
After the first moult, young animals are taken to a separate group. The further life of young people takes place in such bachelor herds until the animals become sexually mature. Females begin to multiply in the third year of life, and males, because of high competition, acquire harems only to 5-7 years. Sea lions live about 20 years.
In nature, sea lions are attacked by sharks and killer whales, some animals die in a collision with ships. It is interesting that the natural cleverness of lions is used by them to protect themselves from predators. A case is known when a sea lion, facing an open sea with a killer whale, approached the yacht. Absolutely wild animal all the way demonstrated to people that they need help and asked for protection.
