Australian Sea Lion
The Australian Sea Lion is one of our endangered Australian animals.
They were hunted for their hide and oil in the 18th and 19th centuries.
They have a stocky body, a large head and short narrow flippers, adult males measure between 2 to 2.5 metres in length and weigh 250 to 300 kilograms, while the adult female measures between 1.3 to 1.8 metres and weighs 61 to 104 kilograms.
The male is dark brown with yellow areas on the neck and top of the head. The female is silver grey, light tan to dark brown on the back and a creamy colour underneath.
Not much is known about their diet but squid, octopus, crustaceans and fish are probably their major source of food.
Australian Sea Lions are the only species of seal with a non-annual breeding cycle. The time between breeding seasons is about 17 months.
The females come ashore into the breeding areas when ready and then give birth a day or two later, about 7 to 8 days after the birth they come into season for about 24 hours. The female nurses its pup for 15 to 18 months.
The Australian Sea Lion is an endangered marine mammal found only in Australian waters. It is one of the most endangered seals in the world today.
It is estimated that only 12,000 remain in the wild today. Two-thirds of this population is found within South Australian waters, with the main breeding colonies being on Kangaroo Island and Dangerous Reef in South Australia.
They are found from The Pages (two small islands east of Kangaroo Island), along the southern coast of South Australia and around the Western Australian coast to the Houtman Abrolhos Islands near Geraldton.
Go to next animal page: Great White Shark
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"The Legend of Bimi"
Introduction
There's a tale that begins in the sand hills
That I would like to tell,
Built from myth and many legends,
And my pen it does compel.
The desert's a hot, a hostile place,
Nothing's changed since time began,
There's a hazy unreality there
As if it, in the dreamtime was planned.
The noon of the day is so hot and still,
And over all an expectant hush,
Like a canvas that's waiting impatiently
For the touch of the artists brush.
The fire of the day can change swifly
To the night of startlingly cold,
Many legends are told of the people
Who live in this land so old.
To continue to read the introduction to this wonderful piece of poetry our Mother wrote called
"The Legend of Bimi" just go to our
Epic Poetry page
We know you will love it!