Sea Lions
Sea Lions
Sea lions are aquatic mammals that travel at fast speeds and use the water to glide over the surface to reach 40km/h! Their agile bodies and quick movements play greatly on their species characteristics.
At Mediterraneo, we have only South American Sea Lions borne in Malta.
Sea Lion Educational
During the Sea Lion Educational, you will sit back and watch our beautiful sea lions showing you their skills in the water. You will be able to learn more about their natural behaviours and after the Educational you have the opportunity to take a photo with one of them.
Their gentle temperament and interest in showing the crowd what they can do, allows them to get through exercise and interact with each other – their favourite time of the day.
Most people confuse Sea Lions with Seals, while they are very similar in their appearance, may choose similar habitats to live in and feed off similar foods; they do have a few differences:
| Sea Lions | Seals |
|---|---|
| Sea Lions belong to the family Otariidae | Seals belong to the family Phocidae |
| Sea Lions have small external ears | Seals do not have external ears |
| Sea Lions mostly use forelimbs for swimming – they appear to be flying underwater | Seals use their hind flippers in a sculling movement to swim |
| Sea Lions use hind flippers to move on land | Seals use front flippers to move on land and bounce around on their bellies. |
| Sea Lions do not have spots, rings or patches on their bodies | Seals often have spots, rings and patches on their skin. |