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Australian Sea Lion

Mammals

The Australian sea lion, Neophoca cinerea, is the only pinniped endemic to Australia and the only living species of its genus. It is sparsely spread along the southern coast from the Houtman Abrolhos Islands in Western Australia to The Pages Islands in South Australia, with sixty-six known breeding colonies, most on offshore islands. Females are silver or fawn with a cream underside, while males are dark brown with a yellow mane and larger. The species is notable for an unusual breeding cycle that runs either about five months or about seventeen to eighteen months and is not tied to the calendar year. It is an opportunistic benthic forager taking fish, squid, cuttlefish, octopus, rock lobster and little penguins, and it is listed as endangered.

Facts
Classification
Diet
Carnivore 1
Population Trend
Decreasing 1
System (Realm)
Marine 1
Threats
Agriculture and Aquaculture 1
Threats
Biological Resource Use 2
Threats
Pollution 1
Relationship to People
Ecotourism and Research 2
Living or Extinct
Yes 1
Conservation Status
Endangered 1
Body Size Band
Large 2
Lifespan
24.1 3
Comparison
CITES Appendix
Not Listed 2
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Neophoca, Taxa
Source Australian sea lion (Wikipedia)
Otariidae, Taxa
Source Australian sea lion (Wikipedia)

In Biome

Marine, Biomes
Source Australian sea lion (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Australia

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source Australian sea lion (Wikipedia)Article text, range
Quote, Article text, range
is a species of sea lion that is the only endemic pinniped in Australia
Sources
1. Australian sea lion (Wikipedia)
  • Article text, sys
    This supports previous evidence that this species forages primarily on neritic, benthic prey, many of which are nonmigratory.
  • Article text, diet
    a wide variety of prey in the diet of the Australian sea lion, including teleost fish
  • Article text, ext
    is a species of sea lion that is the only endemic pinniped in Australia
  • Conservation status, cons
    Their conservation status is listed as endangered.
  • Article text, range
    is a species of sea lion that is the only endemic pinniped in Australia
  • Conservation
    continues to decrease
  • Threats
    Secondary threats include marine fish aquaculture
  • Threats, threats
    disease, pollution, oil spills and noise
  • Child Taxon Of: Neophoca, Lead, tax
    It is currently monotypic in the genus Neophoca
  • In Biome: Marine, Article text, biome
    This supports previous evidence that this species forages primarily on neritic, benthic prey, many of which are nonmigratory.
  • In Group: Pinnipeds (Seals, Sea Lions and the Walrus), Article text, grp
    is a species of sea lion that is the only endemic pinniped in Australia
  • Child Taxon Of: Otariidae, Lead
    making up the family Otariidae
View the Source
2. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Neophoca cinerea (Animal Diversity Web)
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
  • Physical Description, range mass
    105 to 300 kg
  • Conservation status, CITES
    No special status
  • Predation
    Fishermen also occasionally kill them accidentally by entangling them in their nets
  • Economic importance for humans: positive
    draws tens of thousands of tourists
View the Source
3. Human Ageing Genomic Resources, University of Liverpool: AnAge entry for Neophoca cinerea
Human Ageing Genomic Resources, University of LiverpoolMaximum longevity
Quote, Maximum longevity
One wild born animal was about 24.1 years old when it died in captivity
View the Source
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