![]() ![]() Diet Īerial view of an Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) hunting a school of fish near Cape Solander, New South Wales, Australia.Īustralian sea lions have been described as opportunistic, benthic foragers. While Australian sealions have a reputation for curiosity and playfulness during interactions with humans, their bite (albeit rare) can require hospitalisation. ![]() Mature Australian sea lion males were found to emit the barking call in almost all social interactions, despite the existence of at least three call types in their vocal repertoire, plus a guttural threat and growl. The barking call of Australian sea lions was similar in structure to the barking calls described in some other species of otariid in that it was a short sound produced repetitively in a series. The predominant call type produced by males of all ages was the barking call. Male Australian sea lions were observed producing three different call types: a barking call, a bleating call and a female-like call. For pinnipeds, neither visual nor olfactory cues are likely to be the primary modality for mother–pup recognition. However, in a dynamic, crowded colony, the acoustic channel seems to be the most reliable modality. In contrast to recent olfactory studies in pinnipeds which showed the presence but not a natural function of olfaction in pinnipeds, the present study shows that wild Australian sea lions use their olfactory abilities in a functional manner, by discrimination between the scents of their own offspring and a non-filial pup. The use of olfactory cues as a close range recognition mechanism allows mothers to further confirm their pup's identity. Individual recognition can be accomplished with a combination of several sensory modalities, including olfaction, vision, and audition. Individual recognition produces mutual benefits by avoiding misdirected maternal care and therefore energy expenditure for mothers, and the risk of injury for young approaching unrelated, potentially dangerous, adult females. Consequentially, in Australian sea lions, as in many social mammals, mothers and their offspring can identify each other. In pinnipeds, mothers and pups are frequently separated throughout nursing and are thus expected to have evolved an efficient individual recognition system. Kangaroo Island's northeasterly coasts, in addition to some islands near Perth and Albany, once hosted now-extinct breeding colonies. The Abrolhos Island breeding colony is believed to be much smaller today than it was prior to European settlement. Now-extinct breeding colonies previously existed in the Bass Strait, particularly on Clarke Island and adjacent islands in the Furneaux Group. The species' breeding range has contracted as the population has fallen. Forty-two (42%) percent of the total known population are found within the three largest colonies east of Port Lincoln Seal Bay (on Kangaroo Island’s south coast), The Pages and Dangerous Reef (in Spencer Gulf). Most breeding colonies exist on offshore islands, with the exception of Point Labatt in South Australia, Baxter Cliffs (west of Twilight Cove) in Western Australia, and the Bunda Cliffs, Great Australian Bight, which straddles the border between the two states. ![]() ![]() Sixty-six (66) breeding colonies have been identified, with 28 in Western Australia and 38 in South Australia. Females are either silver or fawn with a cream underbelly and males are dark brown with a yellow mane and are bigger than the females.Īustralian sea lions are sparsely distributed across their range, from the Houtman Arbrolhos Islands (28°S, 114☎) in Western Australia, along the southern Australian coast to The Pages Islands (35☄6’S, 138☁8’E) in South Australia. These pinnipeds are specifically known for their abnormal breeding cycles, which are varied between a 5-month breeding cycle and a 17-18 month aseasonal breeding cycle, compared to other pinnipeds which fit into a 12-month reproductive cycle. Their Conservation status is listed as endangered. With a population estimated at around 14,730 animals, the Wildlife Conservation Act of Western Australia (1950) has listed them as “in need of special protection”. It is currently monotypic in the genus Neophoca, with the extinct Pleistocene New Zealand sea lion Neophoca palatina the only known congener. The Australian sea lion ( Neophoca cinerea), also known as the Australian sea-lion or Australian sealion, is a species of sea lion that is the only endemic pinniped in Australia. ![]()
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