Reducing the amount of single-use plastics you use can benefit sea lions.

Much of these items end up in the oceans or other waterways, where they never fully break down, often entangling or being swallowed by ocean animals.  

Scientific Name: Zalophus californianus

Conservation Status: Least Concern

Size: Males: 7' Females: 6'

Weight: Males: 600 to 850 lbs. Female: 200 to 220 lbs.

Female sea lion sitting on a rock
Nutrition
Squid, octopus and small schooling fish like herring, anchovies and sardine are the main food source for sea lions.
Current and Historic Range
Their migratory range spans the western coast of North America from British Columbia to the southern tip of Baja California in Mexico.
Habitat
Sea lions mainly live along coastlines and can often be found on man-made structures like jetties and piers.
Predators
Sea lions are prey for orca whales and great white sharks. Other threats they face are hunting and becoming entangled in trash found in the ocean.
Reproduction
Breeding mainly takes place on offshore islands, especially in Southern and Central California. Pups, born in early summer, usually around June 15, stay with their mothers for about a year to nurse and learn survival skills.
Communication
Mothers and pups can identify one another through smell and individualized vocalizations within the crowded breeding grounds, or rookeries.
Behaviors
Sea lions can be seen jumping out of the water, or porpoising, likely to increase their swimming speed. They are very social animals that can be seen resting together on land or floating in groups, called rafts, on the surface of the ocean.