California sea lions are known for their intelligence, playfulness, and noisy barking.
Although they usually avoid humans, sea lions may bite if provoked.
Male sea lions reach 850 lbs (390 kg) and 7 ft (2.1m) in length, while females can reach 220 lbs (110kg) and up to 6 ft (1.8m) in length.
They can swim 25 miles per hour.
You can distinguish males from females: males develop a bump or “crest” on their heads at four or five years of age.
Sea lions have external ear flips—seals do not.
Sea lions in the wild may live up to 25 years.
Sea lions migrate to areas across the Pacific Coast, from Vancouver to the southern tip of Baja. Most pups are born in June in the Channel Islands, located off Southern California.
The Marine Mammal Protection Act protects California sea lions. It is unlawful for unauthorized persons to feed, handle or harass them.
One of the biggest dangers to sea lions today is becoming entangled in plastic pollution.
These are local species of trout native to California.
The Golden trout has been the official freshwater state fish of California since 1947
Most trouts have two hearts!
Paired fins are orange, and some have white or yellow tips preceded by a black band.
The back of the fish is a deep olive green, fading to bright gold on the sides of the fish.
Harbor seals prefer to stay close to the shore so they can get onto land and warm up in the sun.
Although some of the largest harbor seal pupping areas are found in California, they are also located north along the Pacific Coast in Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska.
Pacific harbor seals spend about half their time on land and half in water.
In California, harbor seal pups are born between February and April and weigh about 20 to 24 pounds at birth.
In 2009, it was estimated that about 34,000 of them live in California.
The northern elephant seal is the largest of the “true” seals in the Northern Hemisphere.
Northern elephant seals typically live for around nine years.
Northern elephant seals can be found in the North Pacific Ocean, such as California and Alaska.
Male elephant seals can be easily recognized by their trunk-like nose; their inflatable noses can be used during the winter breeding season to resonate sounds when vocally threatening each other.
They can dive up to 5000 ft down and stay underwater for almost two hours
One of the biggest dangers to Elephant seals is fishing gear and being struck by ships
A unique characteristic of the northern elephant seal is that it has developed the ability to store oxygenated red blood cells within its spleen
Can be known as red lynx
Twice as large as the domestic cat
It has unique black bars on its forelegs and a black-tipped stubby (or bobbed) tail, from which it derives its name
The bobcat is able to swim long distances
They are territorial and largely solitary, although with some overlap in home ranges.
Gray foxes prefer rocky canyons and ridges but can also be found in wooded areas, open deserts, and grasslands.
Gray foxes are considered omnivores. Therefore, they eat a wide variety of foods.
The gray fox is the only member of the dog family that will climb trees to search for prey, sleep, or escape from predators.
In the wild, gray foxes usually live between 7-10 years, although some live much older.
The gray fox weighs about 4 to 5 pounds and stands 12-15 inches tall at the shoulder.
The female fox can give birth to between 3 and 7 pups, although 4 is average.
Mountain lions live in nearly every ecosystem in America.
The largest mountain lion ever recorded weighed 276 pounds.
The cubs are born with spots, which usually disappear by the time they are roughly nine months old.
Mountain lions do not roar. However, they do have a loud scream.
The Western Toad defends itself from predators by secreting an irritating fluid from glands in their backs and the back of their eyes.
They primarily reside under the cover of a rock or log.
Depending on their habitat and nutrition, western toads can live for up to 11 years.
Western toads are typically 1.9-5.1 in (5-13 cm) in length. They are approximately two times larger than a fire-bellied toad, which is 1-2.3 in (2.6–6 cm) in length.
