GALAPAGOS SEA LIONS 1

Everyone knows about sealions. They are circus performers who can balance a beachball on their nose, right? Well, sealions than that, as you can read in our additional information. In our photos on this page you can see that they are also photogenic. No wonder they are most visitors' favorite Galapagos animal! If you like these pictures be sure to check out the photos of a baby sealion and the close-up of a sealion flipper.

Sealions have a strong instinct to play. In the water, their grace and agility allows them to maneuver with incredible speed. Curious youngsters swim up close, circling around and then zooming off to perform some acrobatics. They swim by moving their front flippers and fine-tuning their direction with the rear flippers. All the while the mother carefully watches their playful youngster so they don't get in trouble.

Mature male and female sealions are easy to distinguish on account of the males' much larger size and the pronounced forehead. Among adolescents, such as the one above, the difference is not so obvious. Sealions have whiskers a foot or more long. This helps them detect movement of water currents which might signify the presence of fish.