South American sea lion

How it lives

South American sea lions are very social animals. They gather in big groups on the coast, at resting sites used all year or only in some seasons, and at breeding colonies, where one male breeds with several females. They hunt mainly fish and cephalopods, and their diet changes with place and season.

Where it goes

Not a true migrant. They rest at haul-out sites and gather at breeding colonies; in Argentina breeding starts in mid-December and colonies spread out again around late February. After breeding, males often move between nearby colonies, and some travel hundreds of kilometres along the coast.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

Lives on South American coasts: on the Pacific from Peru to Cape Horn, and on the Atlantic from southern Brazil to the far south of Argentina and the Falklands. Atlantic and Pacific animals form genetically different groups. Punta Loma, near Puerto Madryn, is Chubut's oldest wildlife reserve (1966) and has a breeding colony. Many South American agencies still use the older name Otaria flavescens.