Yeah, the title is redundant .
Northern sea lions are very social, yet they bitch at each other constantly.
These images were taken from a boat on the outer edge of Resurrection Bay- near the town of Seward.
Hauling out after a night of fishing, these are bachelor males and adolescents- I can't tell if any are females. What I know for sure is that it's not a birthing colony, so there are no sexual innuendos going on, just a lot of loud whining.
Thanks Socrate, Howard, Tim and Da.
Yes, the large one in the third shot is huge. But not as big as a fully mature beach master- those guys can weigh up to 2,000 pounds. If one is around, don't throw a stick in the water and tell Fido to "fetch." Sea lions are highly successful predators.
Thanks Kmunroe and KCollett.
There are no easy answers to the conflicts between fishermen and natural fish predators like seals and sea lions. Hopefully a balance can be achieved that permits both groups to survive and flourish.
Loud and stinky covers it pretty well. If, on a foggy day, you approach a colony of sea lions from downwind: first you hear them roaring (hence the name "lion"), then you smell them, then you see them .
Then you hold your nose and watch them.
Charlie
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