California sea lion Facts for Kids
Zalophus californianus · ZAL-oh-fus kal-ih-for-nee-AY-nus
It barks loudly and can walk on land using its big front flippers.
- 🏃 speed: not yet checked
- ⚖️ 240 to 701 lb109 to 318 kg1
- 📏 5.9 to 7.5 ft1.8 to 2.3 m1 long
- 🎂 20 to 30 years20 to 30 years1
- 🍽️ fish
- Doing fine (Least Concern)
California sea lions bark loudly and often. They have big flippers and smooth, shiny fur. They swim fast and love to play.
Sea lions have small ear flaps on the sides of their heads, and seals do not. A sea lion can turn its back flippers forward and push up on its front flippers, so it can walk on land. Sea lions rest in big, noisy groups on rocks, docks and beaches.
California sea lions are marine mammals: they breathe air, stay warm with a layer of blubber, and feed their pups milk. In the water they steer with their back flippers and flap their front flippers like wings, and their whiskers help them sense fish in dark water. On crowded beaches each mother finds her own pup by its call and smell. Laws that protect sea lions in the United States have helped their numbers grow.
How big is a California sea lion?
California sea lion in numbers
| Length | 5.9 to 7.5 ft1.8 to 2.3 m1females to males |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | no checked number yet |
| Weight | 240 to 701 lb109 to 318 kg1females to males |
| Top speed | no checked number yet |
| How long it lives | 20 to 30 years20 to 30 years1 |
| What it eats | fish such as anchovies and sardines, and squid |
| Where it lives | the Pacific coast of North America, from Canada down to Mexico |
| What kind | Mammals |
| Is it in danger? | Doing fine (Least Concern)2 |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- A mother finds her own pup in a crowd by its call and its smell.
- Sea lions swim by flapping their front flippers like wings.
- They can turn their back flippers forward to walk on land.
Compare the California sea lion
Friends and neighbours
Harbor seal
Walrus
Sea otterThree questions
Books about the California sea lion, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the California sea lion for free.
Where these numbers come from
- NOAA Fisheries, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, California sea lion (Q379732), checked 30 October 2026.